The Letter to the Collagians and the Letter to Philemon from the 20th Century New Testament. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by J. A. Carter, www.authenticlight.org. The 20th Century New Testament by a company of about twenty scholars. The Letter to the Collagians, Introduction and Chapters 1-4, and the Letter to Philemon, also with an introduction. The Letter to the Collagians, Introduction. Paul's Letter to the Christians at Colossae, written probably during his imprisonment at Rome about 61 A.D. Colossae was a town in Roman Asia which had once been a place of considerable importance but which at the time of this letter had lost much of its former prosperity. It does not appear that St. Paul had had any close personal connection with the Church at Colossae, but it is plain from the letter itself that his authority was recognized over a wide area. The Apostles' attention had been drawn to the Church at Colossae by a visit which he received from Epaphras, who had been closely associated with the Christians living there, and who had told Paul of a dangerous heresy which threatened to undermine the religious life of his fellow Christians in that place. This heresy consisted in a teaching drawn from the atmosphere of mystical speculation and with no foundation in history which attempted to bridge the chasm between God and man by the assumption that there were many angelic mediators. The necessity of this assumption lay in the prevalent error that all matter was evil and therefore in direct opposition to God. Two obvious inferences from this heresy were the duty of the worship of angels and the need for rigid asceticism. With such unsatisfying mediation and its consequent dangers, St. Paul sets the life, work, and person of the historical Christ, the one, all-sufficient mediator, the head of all creation. The obscurity of this letter is due partly to the ruggedness and compression of the Apostles' style, and partly to the fact that the letter combats a form of heretical teaching which is by no means familiar to the reader of today. CHAPTER ONE To Christ's people at Colossae, the brothers who are faithful to him, from Paul, an Apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and from Timothy, our brother, may God our Father bless you and give you peace. Whenever we pray, we never fail to thank God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ about you, now that we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all his people on account of the hope which awaits its fulfillment in heaven. Of this hope you heard long ago in the true message of the good news which reached you, bearing fruit and growing as it does through all the world just as it did among you, from the very day that you heard of God's loving kindness and understood what that loving kindness really is. It is just what you learnt from Epaphros, our dear fellow servant, who as a minister of the Christ faithfully represents us and who told us of the love with which the Spirit has inspired you. And therefore we, from the very day that we heard this, have never ceased praying for you or asking that you may possess that deeper knowledge of the will of God which comes through all true spiritual wisdom and insight. Then you will live lives worthy of the Master, and so please God in every way. Your lives will be fruitful in every kind of good action and your characters will grow through a fuller knowledge of God. You will be made strong at all points where the strength worthy of the power manifested in his glory, strong to endure with patience and even with gladness whatever may befall you. And you will give thanks to the Father who made you fit to share the lot which awaits Christ's people in the realms of light. For God has rescued us from the tyranny of darkness and has removed us into the kingdom of his Son who is the embodiment of his love through whom we have found deliverance in the forgiveness of our sins. For Christ is the very incarnation of the invisible God, first born and head of all creation, for in him was created all that is in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, angels and archangels and all the powers of heaven, all has been created through him and for him. He was before all things and all things unite in him, and he is the head of the church which is his body. The first born from the dead he is to the church the source of its life that he in all things may stand first, for it pleased the Father that in him the divine nature and all its fullness should dwell and through him to reconcile all things to himself, making peace by the shedding of Christ's blood offered upon the cross, whether on earth or in heaven, and it pleased God that you, once estranged from him and hostile toward him in your thoughts, intend only on wickedness, but now he has reconciled you in himself by the sacrifice of Christ's earthly body in death. It has pleased God that you should stand in his presence holy, pure and blameless, if only you remain true to your faith, firm and immovable, never abandoning the hope held out in the good news to which you listened, which has been proclaimed among all created things under heaven and of which I, Paul, was made a minister. Now at last I can rejoice in my sufferings on your behalf, and in my own person I supplement the afflictions endured by the Christ for the sake of his body, the church, of which I myself became a minister in virtue of the office with which God entrusted me for your benefit, to declare the message of God in all its fullness, that truth which has been hidden from former ages and generations, but now it has been revealed to God's people to whom it was his pleasure to make known the surpassing glory of the hidden truth when proclaimed among the Gentiles, Christ among you, your hope of glory. This is the Christ whom we proclaim, warning everyone and instructing everyone with all the wisdom that we possess in the hope of bringing everyone into God's presence perfected by union with Christ. It is for that I toil, struggling with all the energy which he inspires and which works powerfully within me. CHAPTER 2 I want you to know in how great a struggle I am engaged for you and for Christ's people at Laodicea, and for all who have not yet seen me, in the hope that they being bound to one another by love and keeping in view the full blessedness of a firm conviction may be encouraged to strive for a perfect knowledge of God's hidden truth, even Christ himself, in whom all treasures of wisdom and knowledge lie hidden. I say this to prevent anyone from deceiving you by plausible arguments. It is true that I am not with you in person, but I am with you in spirit and I am glad to see the good order and the unbroken front resulting from your faith in Christ. Since therefore you have received Jesus, the Christ, as your Lord, live your lives in union with him, rooted in him, building up your characters through union with him, growing stronger through your faith as you were taught overflowing with faith and thanksgiving. He care there is not someone who will carry you away by his philosophy, a hollow sham, following as it does mere human traditions and dealing with the purile questions of this world and not with Christ. For in Christ the Godhead in all its fullness dwells incarnate, and by your union with him you also are filled with it. He is the head of all archangels and powers of heaven. By your union with him you received a circumcision that was not performed by human hands, when you threw off the tyranny of the earthly body and received the circumcision of the Christ. For in baptism you were buried with Christ, and in baptism you were also raised to life with him through your faith in the omnipotence of God who raised him from the dead. And to you who once were dead by reason of your sins and your uncircumcised nature, to you God gave life in giving life to Christ. He pardoned all our sins. He cancelled the bond which stood against us, the bond that consisted of ordinances and which was directly hostile to us. He has taken it out of the way by nailing it to the cross. He rid himself of all the powers of evil and held them up to open contempt when he celebrated his triumph over them on the cross. Do not then allow anyone to take you to task on questions of eating or drinking or in the matter of annual or monthly or weekly festivals. These things are only the shadow of what is to come. The substance is in the Christ. Do not let anyone defraud you of the reality by affecting delight in so-called humility and angel worship. Such a man busies himself with his visions and without reason is rendered conceited by his merely human intellect. He fails to maintain union with the head to whom it is due that the whole body nourished and knit together by the contact and connection of every part grows with a divine growth. Since with Christ you became dead to the pure isle teaching of this world, why do you submit, as though your life were still that of the world, to such ordinances as do not handle or taste or touch? For all the things referred to in them cease to exist when used. You are following mere human directions and instructions. Such prohibitions appear reasonable where there is a desire for self-imposed service and so-called humility and harsh treatment of the body but are of no real value against the indulgence of our earthly nature. CHAPTER III Since therefore you were raised to life with the Christ, seek for the things that are above, for it is there that the Christ is seated at the right hand of God.  When the Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.  These are the things on account of which the wrath of God comes and to which you, like others, once devoted your lives when you live for them, you, however, must now lay aside all such things, anger, passion, malice, slander, abuse. Never lie to one another. Get rid of your old self and its habits and close yourselves with the new self, which, as it gains in knowledge, is being constantly renewed in resemblance to Him who made it. In that new life there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, freeman, but Christ is all, and in all. Therefore as God's people, consecrated and dear to Him, close yourselves with tenderness of heart, kindliness, humility, gentleness, forbearance, bearing with one another and when there is any ground for complaint forgiving one another freely, as the Master freely forgave you, so you must forgive one another. Over all these virtues, put on love, for that is the girdle that makes all complete. Let the peace that the Christ gives decide all doubts within your hearts, for you also were called to the enjoyment of peace as members of one body, and show yourselves thankful. Let the message of the Christ dwell in your minds and all its wealth, bringing all wisdom with it. Teach and admonish one another with psalms and hymns and sacred songs full of the loving kindness of God, lifting your hearts in song to Him and whatever you say or do. Do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, and through Him offer thanksgiving to God the Father. Wives, submit to your husbands as befits those who belong to the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and never treat them harshly. Children, always obey your parents, for that is pleasant to see in those who belong to the Lord. Fathers, never irritate your children lest they should become disheartened. Slaves, always obey your earthly masters, not only when their eyes are on you as if you had but to please men, but giving them ungrudging service in your reverence for the Master. Whatever you do, do it with all your heart as if working for the Master and not for men since you know that it is from the Master that you will receive the inheritance which will be your recompense.  Those who do wrong will reap the wrong they have done, and there will be no partiality. Masters, do what is right and fair by your slaves, for you know that you also have a Master in heaven. Devote yourselves to prayer. Give your whole mind to it and also offer thanksgiving, and at the same time pray for us that God may give us an opening for our message so that we may speak of the truths hidden in the Christ, the truths for which I am in chains, then I shall make them known as I ought to do. Show tact in your behavior to the outside world, making the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation always be kindly and seasoned as it were with salt that you may know in each case what answer you ought to give. Our dear brother Tychicus will tell you all about me. He is a faithful minister and a fellow servant in the Master's cause. I send him to you expressly that you may learn our circumstances and that he may give you encouragement. With him will be onissimus. Our dear fellow brother, who is one of yourselves, they will tell you all that is going on here.  You have received directions about him. If he comes to you, make him welcome. Joshua, who is called Justice, also sends his greeting. These are the only converts from Judaism who have worked with me for the kingdom of God. I have found them a great comfort. The Paphras, who is one of yourselves, sends you his greeting. He is a servant of Christ Jesus and is always most earnest in your behalf in his prayers, praying that you may stand firm with a matured faith and with a sure conviction of all that is in accordance with God's will. I can bear testimony to the deep interest he takes in you, as well as in the brethren at Laodicea and at Heropolis.  Give my greeting to the brethren at Laodicea, and to Nympha, and to the church that meets at her house. And when this letter has been read to you, see that it is also read before the church at Laodicea, and that you yourselves read the letter which will be forwarded from there. Give this message to our Kippus. Take care to discharge for the best of your ability the office to which you were appointed in the master's cause. I, Paul, add this greeting in my own handwriting. Remember these chains of mine. God's blessing be with you. End of the Letter to the Collegians The Letter to Philemon Introduction St. Paul's letter to Philemon, written probably during his imprisonment at Rome about 61 A.D. Onissimus, who was the bearer of this letter, had been enslaved to Philemon. He had robbed his master and run away from him, but on reaching Rome he had come under the influence of St. Paul and had been converted to Christianity. Philemon, who lived probably at Laodicea in Asia Minor, was also one of the Apostles' converts, and St. Paul sent Onissimus back to him with this letter, asking Philemon to forgive him and to receive him as a brother-Christian. Philemon To our dear friend and fellow worker Philemon, to our sister Afia and to our fellow soldier Archipus, and to the church that meets at Philemon's house, from Paul, now a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and from Timothy, a brother. May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ bless you and give you peace. I always mention you in my prayers and thank God for you, because I hear of the love and the faith which you show, not only to the Lord Jesus but also to all his people. And I pray that your participation in the faith may result in action as you come to a fuller realization of everything that is good and Christ-like in us. I have indeed found great joy and encouragement in your love, knowing as I do how the hearts of Christ's people have been cheered, brother, by you. And so, though my union with Christ enables me with all confidence to dictate the course that you should adopt, yet the claims of love make me prefer to plead with you. Yes, even me, Paul, though I am an ambassador of Christ Jesus and now a prisoner for him as well. I plead with you, for this child of mine, Onissimus, to whom in my prison I have become a father.  For my own sake I should like to keep him with me, so that while I am in prison for the good news he might attend to my wants on your behalf. But I do not wish to do anything without your consent, because I want your generosity to be voluntary, and not as it were compulsory. It may be that he was separated from you for an hour for this very reason, that you might have him back for ever, no longer as a slave, but as something better, a dearly loved brother, especially dear to me, and how much more to you, not only as your fellow man, but as your fellow Christian. If then you count me as your friend, receive him as you would me. If he has caused you any loss, or owes you anything, charge it to me. I, Paul, put my hand to it. I will repay you myself. I say nothing about your owing me, your very self. Yes, brother, let me gain something from you because of your union with the Lord. Cheer my heart by your Christ-like spirit. Even as I write I have such confidence in your compliance with my wishes that I am sure that you will do even more than I am asking. Please also get a lodging ready for me, for I hope that I shall be given back to you all in answer to your prayers. The Paphras, who is my fellow prisoner for Christ Jesus, sends you his greeting, and Marcus, Aristarchus, Deimos, and Luke, my fellow workers, send theirs. May the blessing of the Lord Jesus Christ rest on your souls. End of the Letter to Philemon. End of the Letter to Colossians and the Letter to Philemon. The Letter to the Ephesians from the twentieth century New Testament. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by J. A. Carter, www.authenticlight.org. The twentieth century New Testament, by a company of about twenty scholars. The Letter to the Ephesians. Introduction and Chapters 1 through 6. Introduction St. Paul's Letter to the Christians at Ephesus. Written probably during his imprisonment at Rome about 61 A.D. Ephesus was a busy seaport and the chief city of Roman Asia. In it stood the famous temple of Diana. St. Paul's visit to Ephesus is recorded in the Acts, Chapter 19, and lasted for more than two years. His stay there was eventful, and when it came to an end the apostle went to Greece and then returned by way of Miletus to Jerusalem. Early afterwards he was arrested on the complaint of the Jews and taken to Caesarea, Acts 23, verse 23, and from there to Rome, Acts 28, verse 16. From one of these places, probably the latter, he may have written the present letter. The genuineness of this letter has been frequently assailed, but it may with some confidence be attributed to the apostle himself. It appears to have been a circular letter addressed not merely to the Christians at Ephesus, but also to other Christians in Roman Asia. Indeed it was also known as the letter to Laodicea, and maybe the letter referred to in Colossians chapter 4, verse 16. In it the apostle is not so much replying to arguments hostile to Christianity as developing upon lying similar to those laid down in the letter to the Colossians his conception of the unity of all Christians in the Christ, the invisible head of their one society. CHAPTER 1 To Christ's people at Ephesus, who are faithful to him, from Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, by the will of God, may God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ bless you and give you peace. Blessed is the God and Father of Jesus Christ, our Lord, who has blessed us on high with every spiritual blessing in Christ, for he chose us in our union with Christ before the creation of the universe that we might be holy and blameless in his sight living in the spirit of love. From the first he destined us in his good will toward us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ, and so to enhance that glorious manifestation of his loving-kindness which he gave us in the beloved. For in him and through the shedding of his blood we have found redemption in the pardon of our offenses. All this accords with the loving-kindness which God lavished upon us, accompanied by countless gifts of wisdom and discernment when he made known to us his hidden purpose. And it also accords with the good will which God purposed to exhibit in Christ, in view of that divine order which was to mark the completion of the ages when he should make everything both in heaven and on earth, center in him. In him, I say, for by our union with him, we became God's heritage, having from the first been destined for this in the intention of him who in all that happens is carrying out his own fixed purpose, that we should enhance his glory, we who have been the first to rest our hopes on the Christ. And you too, by your union with him, after you had heard the message of the truth, the good news of your salvation, you believed in him and were sealed as his by receiving the Holy Spirit which he had promised. And the Spirit is a pledge of our future heritage, foreshadowing the full redemption of God's own people to enhance his glory. And therefore I, ever since I heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which prevails among you, and of your confidence in all Christ's people, have never omitted to thank God on your behalf whenever I make mention of you in my prayers. My prayer is that the God of Jesus Christ, our Lord, the all-glorious Father, may inspire you with wisdom and true insight through a fuller knowledge of himself, that your minds may be so enlightened that you may realize the hope given by God's call, the wealth of the glory of his heritage among Christ's people, and the transcendent greatness of the power which he is able to exercise in dealing with us who believe in him. The same mighty power was exerted upon the Christ when he raised the Christ from the dead and caused him to sit at his right hand on high, exalting him above all angels and archangels of every rank and above every name that can be named whether in the present age or in the age to come.   For at one time you lived in sin, following the ways of the world in subjection to the ruler of the powers of the air, the spirit who is still at work among the disobedient. And it was among them that we all once lived our lives, indulging the cravings of our earthly nature and carrying out the desires prompted by that earthly nature and by our own thoughts. Our very nature exposed us to the divine wrath, like the rest of mankind. Yet God, in his abundant compassion, and because of the great love with which he loved us, even though we were dead because of our offenses, gave life to us in giving life to the Christ. By God's loving kindness you have been saved. And through our union with Christ Jesus, God raised us with him and caused us to sit with him on high in order that by his goodness to us in Christ Jesus he may display in the ages to come the boundless wealth of his loving kindness. For it is by God's loving kindness that you have been saved through your faith. It is not due to yourselves. The gift is God's. It is not due to obedience to law lest anyone should boast. We are God's handiwork created by our union with Christ Jesus for the good actions in doing which God had prearranged that we should spend our lives. Remember therefore that you were once gentiles yourselves as your body showed. You were called the uncircumcised by those who were called the circumcised, circumcised only by the hand of man. Remember that you were at that time far from Christ. You were shut out from the citizenship of Israel. You were strangers to the covenants founded on God's promise. You were in the world without hope and without God. But now, through your union with Christ Jesus, you who once were far off have by the shedding of the blood of the Christ been brought near. He it is who is our peace. He made the two divisions of mankind one, broke down the barrier that separated them, and in his human nature put an end to the cause of enmity between them, the law with its injunctions and ordinances, in order to create through union with himself, from Jew and Gentile, one new man, and thus make peace. And when upon the cross he had destroyed their mutual enmity, he sought by means of his cross to reconcile them both to God, united in one body. He came with the good news of peace for you who were far off, and of peace for those who were near. For it is through him that we, the Jews, and the Gentiles, united in one spirit, are now able to approach the Father. It follows, then, that you are no longer strangers and aliens, but are fellow-citizens with Christ's people and members of God's household. You have been built up upon the foundation laid by the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone. United in him, every part of the building closely joined together will grow into a temple consecrated by its union with the Lord.  CHAPTER III For this reason, I, Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ, for the sake of you Gentiles, for you have heard, I suppose, of the responsible charge with which God entrusted me for your benefit, and also that it was by direct revelation that the hidden purpose of God was made known to me, as I have already briefly told you. And by reading what I have written you will be able to judge how far I understand this hidden purpose of God in Christ. In former generations it was not made known to mankind as fully as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to the apostles and prophets among Christ's people. That by union with Christ Jesus and through the good news the Gentiles are co-heirs with us and members of one body and that they share with us in God's promise. Of this good news I became a minister in virtue of the charge with which God entrusted me in the exercise of his power. Yes, to me, who am less than the least of all Christ's people, was this charge entrusted. To tell the Gentiles the good news of the boundless wealth to be found in the Christ and to make clear what is God's way of working out that hidden purpose which from the first has been concealed in the mind of the Creator of all things, so that now, to the archangels and to all the powers on high should be made known through the church the all-embracing wisdom of God in accordance with that purpose which runs through all the ages in which he is now accomplished in Jesus, the Christ, our Master. And in union with him and through our trust in him we find courage to approach God with confidence. Therefore I beg you not to be disheartened at the sufferings that I am undergoing for your sakes, for they redown to your honor. For this reason then I kneel before the Father, from whom all fatherhood in heaven and on earth derives its name, and pray that in proportion to the wealth of his glory he will strengthen you with his power by breathing his spirit into your inmost soul, so that the Christ through your faith may make his home within your hearts in love. And I pray that you, now firmly rooted and established, may with all Christ's people have the power to comprehend in all its width and length and height and depth and to understand, though it surpasses all understanding, the love of the Christ, and so be filled to the full with God himself. To him who through his power, which is at work within us, is able to do far more than anything that we can ask or conceive. To him be all glory through the church and through Christ Jesus for all generations, age after age. Amen. Chapter 4 I urge you then, I who am a prisoner of the Master's cause, to live lives worthy of the call that you have received. Always humble and gentle, patient, bearing lovingly with one another, and striving to maintain in the bond of peace the unity given by the Spirit. There is but one body and one spirit, just as there was but one hope set before you when you received your call. There is but one Lord, one faith, one baptism. There is but one God and Father of all, the God who is over all, pervades all and is in all. Every one of us, however, has been entrusted with some charge, each in accordance with the extent of the gift of the Christ. That is why it is said, when he went up on high he led his captives into captivity and gave gifts to mankind. Now surely this going up must imply that he had already gone down into the world beneath. He who went down is the same as he who went up, up beyond the highest heaven, that he might fill all things with his presence. And he it is who gave to the church apostles, prophets, missionaries, pastors and teachers, to fit his people for the work of the ministry for the building up of the body of the Christ. And this shall continue until we all attain to that unity which is given by faith and by a fuller knowledge of the Son of God, until we reach the ideal man, the full standard of the perfection of the Christ. Then we shall no longer be like infants, tossed backward and forward, blown about by every breath of human teaching, through the trickery and craftiness of men toward the snares of error. But holding the truth in a spirit of love, we shall grow into complete union with him who is our head, Christ himself. But from him the whole body closely joined and knit together by the contact of every part with the source of its life derives its power to grow in proportion to the vigor of each individual part, and so is being built up in the spirit of love.  Lost to all sense of shame, they have abandoned themselves to licentiousness in order to practice every kind of impurity without restraint. But far different is the lesson you learnt from the Christ, if that is you really listened to him and through union with him were taught the truth as it is to be found in Jesus. For you learnt with regard to your former way of living that you must cast off your old nature, which yielding to diluting passions grows corrupt, that the very spirit of your minds must be constantly renewed, and that you must clothe yourselves in that new nature which was created to resemble God with the righteousness and holiness springing from the truth. Since therefore you have cast off what is false, you must every one of you speak the truth to your neighbors, for we are united to one another like the parts of a body. Be angry, yet do not sin. Do not let the sun go down upon your anger and give no opportunity to the devil. Let the man who steals steal no longer, but rather let him toil with his hands at honest work, so that he may have something to share with anyone in want. Never let any foul word pass your lips, but only such good words as the occasion demands that they may be a help to those who hear them. And do not grieve God's Holy Spirit, for it was through that spirit that God sealed you as His against the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, passion, anger, brawling, and abusive language be banished from among you, as well as all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, ready to forgive one another just as God in Christ forgave you. CHAPTER V Therefore imitate God as His dear children, and live a life of love following the example of the Christ who loved you and gave Himself for you as an offering and a sacrifice to God that should be fragrant and acceptable. As for unchastity and every kind of impurity or greed, do not let them even be mentioned among you, as if it is Christ people, nor shameful conduct, nor foolish talk or jesting, for they are wholly out of place among you, but rather thanksgiving. For of this you may be sure that no one who is unchaste or impure or greedy of gain, for to be greedy of gain is idolatry, as any place awaiting Him in the kingdom of Christ and God.  Therefore have nothing to do with such people, for although you were once in darkness, now by your union with the Lord you are in the light. Live as children of light, for the outcome of life in the light may be seen in every form of goodness, righteousness, and serity, always trying to find out what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in deeds of darkness from which no good can come. On the contrary, expose them. It is degrading even to speak of the things continually done by them in secret. All such actions, when exposed, have their true character made manifest by the light. For everything that has its true character made manifest is clear as light. And that is why it is said, sleeper, awake, arise from the dead, and the Christ shall give the light. Take great care, then, how you live, not unwisely but wisely, making the most of every opportunity, for these are evil days. Therefore do not grow thoughtless, but try to understand what the Lord's will is. Do not drink wine to excess, for that leads to profligacy. But seek to be filled with the Spirit of God, and speak to one another in psalms and hymns and sacred songs. Bring and make music in your hearts to the Lord. Always give thanks for everything to our God and Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and submit to one another, from reverence for him. Wives should submit to their husbands, as submitting to the Lord. For a man is the head of his wife, as Christ is the head of the church, being indeed himself the saviour of his body. But as the church submits to the Christ, so also should wives submit to their husbands in everything. Love your wives, just as the Christ loved the church and gave himself for her, to make her holy after purifying her by the washing of the water, according to his promise. So that he might himself bring the church in all her beauty, into his own presence, with no spot or wrinkle or blimmyish of any kind, but that she might be holy and faultless. That is how husbands ought to love their wives, as if they were their own bodies.  But everyone feeds his body and cares for it, just as the Christ for the church, for we are members of his body. For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the man and his wife shall become one. In this there is a profound truth. I am speaking of Christ and his church. However, for you individually, let each love his wife as if she were himself, and the wife be careful to respect her husband. CHAPTER VI. CHILDREN. Obey your parents as children of the Lord, for that is but right. Honor your father and mother. This is the first commandment with a promise, so that thou mayest prosper and have a long life on earth. And fathers, do not irritate your children, but bring them up with Christian discipline and instruction. SLAVES. Obey your earthly masters with anxious care, giving them ungrudging service as if obeying the Christ, not only when their eyes are on you as if you had merely to please men, but as slaves of Christ who are trying to carry out the will of God.  And masters, treat your slaves in the same spirit. Give up threatening them, for you know that he who is both their master and yours is in heaven, and that before him there is no distinction of rank. For the future, find strength in your union with the Lord, and in the power that comes from his might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you may be able to stand your ground against the stratagems of the devil. For ours is no struggle against enemies of flesh and blood, but against all the various powers of evil that hold sway in the darkness around us, against the spirits of wickedness on high. Therefore take up the full armor of God, that when the evil day comes you may be able to withstand the attack, and having fought to the end, still to stand your ground. Stand your ground then with truth for your belt, and with righteousness for your breastplate, and with the readiness to serve the good news of peace as shoes for your feet. At every onslaught take up faith for your shield, for with it you will be able to extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one, and receive the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, which is the message of God, always with prayer and supplication. Pray in spirit at all times. Be intent upon this, with unwearing perseverance and supplication for all Christ's people, and on my behalf also, that when I begin to speak, words may be given me, so that I may fearlessly make known the inmost truth of the good news on behalf of which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that in telling it I may speak fearlessly as I ought. To enable you as well as others to know all that concerns me and what I am doing, Tychicus, our dear brother and faithful helper in the master's cause, will tell you everything. I am sending him to you on purpose that you may learn all about us and that he may cheer your hearts. May God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give our brother's peace and love linked with faith. May God's blessing be with all who love our Lord Jesus with an undying love. End of the Letter to the Ephesians The Letter to the Philippians from the twentieth century New Testament. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by J. A. Carter, www.authenticlight.org. The twentieth century New Testament by a company of about twenty scholars. The Letter to the Philippians. Introduction in chapters one through four. Introduction. St. Paul's Letter to the Christians at Philippi. Written probably during his imprisonment at Rome about sixty-two A.D. Philippi was a Roman military station in Macedonia, and the first place in Europe at which St. Paul is known to have preached. Acts sixteen verse twelve. The apostle gained many converts there, but his stay was cut short by persecution. Subsequently he twice revisited the town. Acts chapter twenty verses two and six. The Philippian Christians appeared to have cherished especially warm affection for the apostle. Although their own means were but slender, they repeatedly contributed to his support with great generosity. Philippians chapter four verses fifteen and sixteen. Upon hearing of his imprisonment at Rome they sent Epaphroditus to carry their gifts to him and assure him of their heartfelt sympathy. Philippians chapter two verse twenty-five. While in Rome Epaphroditus fell ill. Upon his recovery St. Paul sent this letter by him to Philippi, expressing to the members of the church there his gratitude for their kindness and urging them to unity and humility. The letter expresses warm personal affection and contains counsel and warning to the apostles' converts mingled with kindly messages and encouragement. It was written at a time when his trial before the emperor Nero was drawing to an end and when St. Paul was daily awaiting the issue. His friends had deserted him, death stared him in the face and yet the letter sounds a note of confidence and joy. CHAPTER ONE To all Christ's people at Philippi with the presiding officers and assistants. From Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus. May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ bless you and give you peace. Every recollection that I have of you is a cause of thankfulness to God always in every prayer that I offer for you all and my prayers are full of joy because of the share that you have had in spreading the good news from the first day that you received it until now. For of this I am confident that he who began a good work in you will complete it in readiness for the day of Jesus Christ. And indeed I am justified in feeling thus about you all because you have a warm place in my heart. You who all both in my imprisonment and in the work of defending and establishing the good news shared my privilege with me. God will bear me witness how I yearn over you all with the tenderness of Christ Jesus. And what I pray for is this, that your love may grow yet stronger and stronger with increasing knowledge and all discernment until you are able to appreciate all moral distinctions. And I pray too that you may be kept pure and blameless against the day of Christ bearing a rich harvest of that righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God. Brothers, I want you to realize that what has happened to me has actually served to forward the good news. It has even become evident not only to all the imperial guard but to everyone else that it is for Christ's sake that I am in chains. And besides this most of our brothers have gained confidence in the Lord through my chains and now venture with far greater freedom to speak of God's message fearlessly. It is true that some do proclaim the Christ out of jealousy and opposition but there are others who proclaim Him from good will. The latter do it from love for me knowing that I have been appointed to plead the cause of the good news. The former spread the news of the Christ in a factious spirit and not sincerely thinking to add to the pain of my chains. But what of that? Only that in some way or other either with assumed or with real earnestness Christ is being made known and at that I rejoice. Yes and I will rejoice for I know that through your prayers and through a rich supply of the spirit of Jesus Christ all this will make for my salvation and this will fulfill my earnest expectation and hope that I shall have no cause for shame but that with unfailing courage now as hitherto Christ will be honored in my body whether by my life or by my death. For to me life is Christ and death is gain. But what if the life here in the body if this brings me fruit from my labors? Then wish to choose I cannot tell. I am sorely perplexed either way. My own desire is to depart and be with Christ for this would be far better. But for your sakes it may be more needful that I should still remain here in the body. Yes I am confident that this is so and therefore I am sure that I shall stay and stay near you all to promote your progress and joy in the faith so that when you once more have me among you you and your union with Christ Jesus may find in me fresh cause for exaltation. Under all circumstances let your lives be worthy of the good news of the Christ so that whether I come and see you or whether I hear of your affairs at a distance I may know that you are standing firm, animated by one spirit and joining with one heart and a common struggle for the faith taught by the good news without ever shirking from your opponents. To them this will be a sign of their destruction and of your salvation, a sign from God. For on behalf of Christ you have had the privilege granted you not only of trusting in him but also of suffering on his behalf. You will be engaged in the same hard struggle as that which you once saw me waging and which you hear that I am waging still. CHAPTER II If then any encouragement comes through union with Christ. If there is any persuasive power in love, if there is any communion with the spirit, if there is any tenderness or pity, I entreat you to make my happiness complete. Live together, animated by the same spirit and in mutual love, one in heart, animated by one spirit. Nothing should be done in a factious spirit or from vanity, but each of you should, with all humility, regard others as of more account than himself, and one and all should consider not only their own interests but also the interests of others.  Though the divine nature was his from the beginning, yet he did not look upon equality with God as above all things to be clung to, but impoverished himself by taking the nature of a servant and becoming like men. He appeared among us as a man and still further humbled himself by submitting even to death, to death on a cross. And that is why God raised him to the very highest place and gave him the name which stands above all other names, so that in an adoration of the name of Jesus every knee should bend in heaven, on earth, and under the earth, and that every tongue should acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord to the glory of God the Father. Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always been obedient in the past, so now work out your own salvation with anxious care, not only when I am with you, but all the more now that I am absent. Remember it is God who in his kindness is at work within you, enabling you both to will and to work. In all that you do, avoid murmuring and dissension, so as to prove yourselves blameless and innocent, faultless children of God in the midst of an evil-disposed and perverse generation in which you are seen shining like stars in a dark world, offering to men the message of life. And then I shall be able, at the day of Christ, to boast that I did not run my course for nothing, or toil for nothing. And yet, even if, when your faith is offered as a sacrifice to God, my life-blood must be poured out in addition. Still, I shall rejoice and share the joy of you all, and do you also rejoice and share my joy. I hope, however, as one who trusts in the Lord Jesus, to send Timothy to you before long, so that I may myself be cheered by receiving news of you, for I have no one but him to send, no one of kindred spirit who would take the same genuine interest in your welfare. They are all pursuing their own aims, and not those of Christ Jesus. But you know what Timothy has proved himself to be, and how, like a child working for his father, he worked hard with me in spreading the good news. It is Timothy then whom I hope to send, as soon as ever I can foresee how it will go with me. And I am confident, as one who trusts in the Lord Jesus, that before long I myself shall follow. Still, I think it necessary to send a pathroditus to you now, for he is my brother, fellow worker and fellow soldier, but he was also your messenger to help me in my need, for he has been longing to see you all, and has been distressed because you heard of his illness, and I can assure you that his illness very nearly proved fatal. But God had pity on him, and not on him only, but also on me, that I might not have sorrow upon sorrow. I am all the more ready, therefore, to send him, so that the sight of him may revive your spirits and my own sorrow be lightened. Give him then the heartiest of Christian welcomes, and hold such men in great honor, for it was owing to his devotion to the master's work that he was at the point of death, having risked his own life and the effort to supply what was wanting in the help that you sent me. CHAPTER III In conclusion, my brothers, all joy be yours, and your union with the Lord. To repeat what I have already said is not weary me, and is the safe course for you. Beware of those dogs. Beware of those mischievous workers. Beware of the men who mutilate themselves. For it is we who are the circumcised, we whose worship is prompted by the Spirit of God, who exalt in Christ Jesus and who do not rely upon external privileges. Though I, if any man, have caused to rely even upon them, if anyone thinks he can rely upon external privileges far more can I. I was circumcised when eight days old. I am an Israelite by birth, and of the tribe of Benjamin. I am a Hebrew, and the child of Hebrews. As to the law, I was a Pharisee. As to zeal, I was a persecutor of the church. As to such righteousness as is due to the law, I prove myself blameless. But all the things which I once held to be gains I have now for the Christ's sake come to count as loss. More than that I count everything as loss, for the sake of the exceeding value of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord. And for his sake I have lost everything, and count it as refuse, if I may but gain Christ and be found in union with him. Only righteousness that I have being not the righteousness that results from law, but the righteousness which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is derived from God and is founded on faith. Then indeed I shall know Christ, and the power of his resurrection, and all that it means to share his sufferings, and the hope that if I become like him in his death I may possibly attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already laid hold of it, or that I am already made perfect. But I press on, in the hope of actually laying hold of that for which indeed I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. For I, brothers, do not regard myself as having yet laid hold of it. But this one thing I do. Forgetting what lies behind, and straining every nerve for that which lies in front, I press on to the goal to gain the prize of that heavenward call which God gave me through Christ Jesus. Let all of us then, whose faith is mature, think thus. Then if on any matter you think otherwise God will make that also plain to you. Only we are bound to order our lives by what we have already attained. Brothers, unite in following my example, and fix your eyes on those who are living by the pattern which we have set you. For there are many of whom I have often told you, and now tell you even with tears, who are living in enmity to the cross of the Christ. The end of such men is ruined. For their appetites are their God, and they glory in their shame, their minds are given up to earthly things. But the state of which we are citizens is in heaven, and it is from heaven that we are eagerly looking for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who by the exercise of his power to bring everything into subjection to himself will make this body that we have in our humiliation like to that body which he has in his glory. CHAPTER IV So then, my dear brothers, whom I am longing to see, you who are my joy and my crown, stand fast in union with the Lord, dear friends. I entreat Eodia and I entreat Sintiki to live in harmony in union with the Lord. Yes, and I ask you, my true comrade, to help them, remembering that they toiled by my side in spreading the good news, and so did Clement and my other fellow workers whose names are in the Book of Life. All joy be yours at all time in our union with the Lord. Then I repeat, all joy be yours. Let your forbearing spirit be plain to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but under all circumstances, by prayer and entreaty, join with thanksgiving. Make your needs known to God. Then the peace of God, which is beyond all human understanding, will stand guard over your hearts and thoughts through your union with Christ Jesus. In conclusion, brothers, wherever you find anything true or honorable, righteous or pure, lovable or praiseworthy, or have virtue and honor have any meaning, there let your thoughts dwell. All that you learnt and received and heard and saw in me put into practice continually, and then God, the giver of peace, will be with you. It was a matter of great joy to me, as one in union with the Lord, that at length your interest in me had revived, the interest indeed you had, but not the opportunity. Do not think that I am saying this under the pressure of want, for I, however I am placed, have learnt to be independent of circumstances. I know how to face humble circumstances, and I know how to face prosperity. Into all and every human experience I have been initiated, into plenty and hunger, into prosperity and want, I can do everything in the strength of him who makes me strong. Yet you have acted nobly in sharing my troubles. You at Philippi know, as well as I, that in the early days of the good news, at the time when I had just left Macedonia, no church with the one exception of yourselves had anything to do with me, as far as giving and receiving are concerned. Indeed, even while I was still in Thessalonica, you sent more than once to receive my wants. It is not that I am anxious for your gifts, but I am anxious to see the abundant return that will be placed to your account. I have enough of everything, and to spare. My wants are fully satisfied, now that I have received from a pathoditis the gifts which you sent me, the sweet fragrance of a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. And my God, out of the greatness of his wealth, will in glory fully satisfy your every need through your union with Christ Jesus. To him our God and Father be ascribed all glory for ever and ever. Amen. Give my greeting to every one of the people of Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me send you their greetings. All Christ people here, and especially those who belong to the emperor's households, send theirs. May the blessing of the Lord Jesus Christ rest on your souls. End of the Letter to the Philippians. The first letter to Timothy, from the 20th century New Testament. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by J. A. Carter, www.authenticlight.org. The 20th century New Testament, by a company of about twenty scholars. The first letter to Timothy. Introduction and Chapters 1 through 6. Introduction. The first letter to Timothy, date and place of writing uncertain. Writing is known with any certainty as to the history either of this or of the other two pastoral letters. Timothy to whom this and the next letter are addressed was the son of a Greek father and a Jewish mother, and was converted by St. Paul from Judaism to Christianity. He lived in Lystra in Asia Minor, Acts chapter 16, verses 1 through 4, joined St. Paul on his second missionary journey, and according to this letter was placed by the apostle in charge of some church. Tradition says that it was the church in Ephesus. The object of this letter is to guide and encourage this young officer of the church in the discharge of his duties, and it contains many general directions on the affairs of the church. Chapter 1 To Timothy, my true child in the faith, from Paul an apostle of Christ Jesus by the appointment of God our Savior and Christ Jesus our hope.  I beg you, as I did when I was on my way into Macedonia, to remain at Ephesus, that you may instruct certain people there not to teach new and strange doctrines in order to devote their attention to legends and interminable genealogies which tend to give rise to argument rather than to further that divine plan which is revealed in the faith. The object of all instruction is to call forth that love which comes from a pure heart, a clean conscience, and a sincere faith, and it is because they have not aimed at these things that the attention of certain people has been diverted to unprofitable subjects. They want to be teachers of the law, and yet do not understand either the words they use or the subjects on which they speak so confidently. We know, of course, that the law is excellent when used legitimately, by one who recognizes that laws were not made for good men, but for the lawless and disorderly, for irreligious and wicked people, for those who are irreverent and profane, for those who ill-treat their fathers or mothers, for murderers, for the immoral, for people guilty of sodomy, for slave-dealers, for liars, for perjurers, and for whatever else is opposed to sound Christian teaching, as is taught in the glorious good news of the ever-blessed God with which I was entrusted. I am thankful to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has been my strength, for showing that he thought me worthy of trust by appointing me to his ministry, though I once used to blaspheme and to persecute and to insult. But mercy was shown me because I acted in ignorance, while still an unbeliever. And the loving kindness of our Lord was boundless, and filled me with that faith and love which come from union with Christ Jesus. How true the saying is, and worthy of the fullest acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. And there is no greater sinner than I. Yet mercy was shown me for the express purpose that Christ Jesus might exhibit in my case, beyond all others, His exhaustless patience as an example for those who were afterwards to believe on Him and attain immortal life. To the immortal King, ever living, invisible, the one God, be ascribed honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.  The good fight in the spirit of those predictions with faith and with a clear conscience, and it is because they have thrust this aside that as regards to the faith some have wrecked their lives, Hymenius and Alexander are instances, the men whom I delivered over to Satan, that they might be taught not to blaspheme. CHAPTER II First of all then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions and thanksgivings should be offered for everyone, especially for kings and all who are in high positions, in order that we may lead a quiet and peaceful life in a deeply religious and reverent spirit. This will be good and acceptable in the eyes of God our Saviour whose will is that everyone should be saved, and attain to a full knowledge of the truth. There is but one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom on behalf of all men. This must be our testimony, as opportunities present themselves. And it was for this that I was myself appointed a herald and an apostle. I am telling the simple truth and no lie, a teacher of the gentiles in the faith and truth. My desire then is that it should be the custom everywhere, for the men to lead the prayers with hands reverently uplifted, avoiding heated controversy. I also desire that women should adorn themselves with appropriate dress, worn quietly and modestly and not with wreaths or gold ornaments for the hair or pearls or costly clothing but, as is proper for women who profess to be religious, with good actions. A woman should listen silently to her teachers and show them all deference. I do not consent to a woman's becoming a teacher or exercising authority over a man. She ought to be silent. Adam was formed first, not Eve, and it was not Adam who was deceived. It was the woman who was entirely deceived and fell into sin. But women will find their salvation in motherhood if they never abandon faith, love, or holiness and behave with modesty. How true that saying! CHAPTER III When a man aspires to be a presiding officer in the church, he is ambitious for a noble task. The presiding officer should be a man of blameless character, a faithful husband, living a temperate, discreet and well-ordered life, hospitable and a skillful teacher, not addicted to good drink or brawling, but of a forbearing and peaceable disposition, and not a lover of money. He should be a man who rules his own household well, and whose children are kept under control and are well behaved. If a man does not know how to rule his own household, how can he take charge of the church of God? The presiding officer should not be a recent convert, that he may not be blinded by pride and fall under the same condemnation as the devil. He should also be well spoken of by outsiders, that he may not incur censure and so fall into the snares of the devil. So too, assistant officers should be serious and straightforward men, not given to taking much drink or questionable moneymaking, but men who hold the deep truths of the faith and have a clear conscience. They should be tested first, and only appointed to their office if no objection is raised against them. It should be the same with the women. They should be serious, not gossips, sober and trustworthy in all respects. Assistant officers should be faithful husbands, and men who rule their children and their households well. Those who have filled that post with honor gain for themselves an honorable position, as well as great confidence through the faith that they place in Christ Jesus. I am writing this to you, though I hope that I shall come to you before long, but in case I should be delayed, I want you to know what your conduct ought to be in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and stay of the truth. Yes, and confessedly wonderful are the deep truths of our religion. For he was revealed in our nature, pronounced righteous in spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the Gentiles, believed on in the world, taken up into glory. CHAPTER IV But the spirit distinctly says that in later times there will be some who will fall away from the faith and devote their attention to misleading spirits and to the teaching of demons who will make use of the hypocrisy of lying teachers. These men's consciences are seared and they discourage marriage and enjoin abstinence from certain kinds of food, though God created these foods to be enjoyed thankfully by those who hold the faith and have attained a full knowledge of the truth. Everything created by God is good, and there is nothing that need be rejected, provided only that it is received thankfully, for it is consecrated by God's blessing and by prayer. Get all this before the brethren, and you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, sustained by the precepts of the faith and of that good teaching by which you have guided your life. As for profane legends and old wives tales, leave them alone.  For while the training of the body is of service in some respects, religion is of service in all, carrying with it as it does a promise of life both here and hereafter. How true that saying is and worthy of the fullest acceptance. With that aim we toil and struggle, for we have set our hopes on the living God, who is the Savior of all men and especially of those who hold the faith. Dwell upon these things in your teaching.  Till I come, apply yourself to public reading, preaching, and teaching. Do not neglect the divine gift within you, which was given you amid many a prediction when the hands of the officers of the church were laid on your head. Practice these things, devote yourself to them, so that your progress may be plain to everyone. Look to yourself as well as to your teaching. Persevere in this, for your doing so will mean salvation for yourself as well as for your hearers. Do not reprimand an older man, but plead with him as if he were your father. Treat the young men as brothers, the older women as mothers and the younger women as sisters, with all purity. Show consideration for widows, I mean those who are really widowed. But if a widow has children or grandchildren, let them learn to show proper regard for the members of their own family first, and to make some return to their parents. For that is pleasing in God's sight. As for the woman who is really widowed and left quite alone, her hopes are fixed on God and she devotes herself to prayers and supplications night and day. But the life of a widow who is devoted to pleasure is a living death. Those are the points on which you should dwell, that there may be no call for your censure. Anyone who fails to provide for his own relations and especially for those under his own roof has disowned the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. A widow, when her name is added to the list, should not be less than sixty years old. She should have been a faithful wife and be well spoken of for her kind actions. She should have brought up children, have shown hospitality to strangers, have washed the feet of her fellow Christians, have relieved those who were in distress and devoted herself to every kind of good action. But you should exclude the younger widows from the list. For when they grow restive under the yoke of the Christ, they want to marry, and so they bring condemnation upon themselves for having broken their previous promise. Not only that, but they learn to be idle as they go about from house to house. Nor are they merely idle, but they also become gossips and busybodies and talk of what they ought not. Therefore I advise young widows to marry, bear children, and attend to their homes, and so avoid giving the enemy an opportunity for scandal. There are some who have already left us to follow Satan. Any Christian woman who has relations who are widows ought to relieve them and not allow them to become a burden to the church so that the church may relieve those widows who are really widowed. Those officers of the church who feel their office well should be held deserving of a special consideration, particularly those whose work lies in preaching and teaching. The words of Scripture are, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain, and again, the worker is worth his wages. Do not receive a charge against an officer of the church unless it is supported by two or three witnesses, but rebuke offenders publicly so that others may take warning. I charge you solemnly before God and Christ Jesus and the chosen angels to carry out these directions unsuayed by prejudice, never acting with partiality. Never ordain anyone hastily, and take no part in the wrong doing of others. Keep your life pure. Do not continue to drink water only, but take a little wine on account of the weakness of your stomach and your frequent ailments. There are some men whose sins are conspicuous and lead on to judgment while there are others whose sins dog their steps. In the same way noble deeds become conspicuous and those which are otherwise cannot be concealed. CHAPTER VI All who are in the position of slaves should regard their masters as deserving of the greatest respect so that the name of God and our teaching may not be maligned. Those who have Christian masters should not think less of them because they are their brothers, but on the contrary they should serve them all the better because those who are to benefit by their good work are dear to them as their fellow Christians. Those are the things to insist upon in your teaching. Anyone who teaches otherwise and refuses his assent to sound instruction, the instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ, and through the teaching of religion is puffed up with conceit and not really knowing anything, but having a morbid craving for discussions and arguments. Such things only give rise to envy, quarreling, temptations, base suspicions, and incessant wrangling on the part of these corrupt-minded people who have lost all hold on the truth and who think of religion only as a source of gain. And a great source of gain religion is when it brings contentment with it, for we brought nothing into the world because we cannot even carry anything out of it. So with food and shelter we shall be content. Those who want to be rich fall into the snares of temptation and become the prey of many foolish and harmful ambitions which plunge people into destruction and ruin. Love of money is a source of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and have been pierced to the heart by many a regret. But do you, servant of God, avoid all this? Aim at righteousness, piety, faith, love, endurance, gentleness. Un the great race of the faith and win the immortal life. It was for this that you received the call, and in the presence of many witnesses made the great profession of faith. I urge you, as in the sight of God, the source of all life, and of Christ Jesus who before Pontius Pilate made the great profession of faith, I urge you to keep his command free from stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. This will be brought about in his own time by the one ever-blessed potentate, the King of all kings and the Lord of all lords, who alone is possessed of immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has ever seen or ever can see, to whom be ascribed honor and power forever. Amen. Urge upon those who are wealthy in this life not to pride themselves or fix their hopes on so uncertain a thing as wealth, but on God who gives us a wealth of enjoyment on every side. Urge upon them to show kindness, to exhibit a wealth of good actions, to be open-handed and generous, storing up for themselves what in the future will prove to be a good foundation that they may gain the only true life. Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you. Avoid the profane prattle and contradictions of what some miscall theology, for there are those who, while asserting their proficiency in it, have yet as regards the faith gone altogether astray. God bless you all. The Second Letter to Timothy, Introduction The Second Letter to Timothy, Date and Place of Writing Uncertain What has been said as to the history of the first of these two letters to Timothy applies equally to the second. This letter contains warnings against false teachers and exhortations to an earnest discharge of duty. It has been supposed to be the last extant letter written by St. Paul. Chapter 1 To Timothy, my dear child, from Paul, who by the will of God is an apostle of Christ Jesus, charged to proclaim the life that comes from union with Christ Jesus.  I am thankful to God, whom I serve, as my ancestors did, with a clear conscience, when I remember you as I never fail to do in my prayers. Night and day alike, as I think of your tears, longing to see you that my happiness may be completed, now that I have been reminded of the sincere faith that you have shown.   For the spirit which God gave us was not a spirit of cowardice, but a spirit of power, love, and self-control. Do not therefore be ashamed of the testimony which we have to bear to our Lord, nor yet of me, who am a prisoner for him. But join with me in suffering for the good news as far as God enables you. It was God who saved us, and from him we received our solemn call, not as a reward for anything that we had done, but in fulfillment of his own loving purpose. For that love was extended to us through Christ Jesus before time began, and has now been made apparent through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has made an end of death, and has brought life and immortality to light by that good news of which I was myself appointed to herald and apostle and teacher. That is why I am undergoing these sufferings, yet I feel no shame, for I know in whom I have put my faith and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day. Keep before you, as an example of sound teaching, all that you have learnt from me as you listened with that faith and love which come from union with Christ Jesus, guard by the help of the Holy Spirit who is within us the glorious trust that has been committed to you. You know, of course, that all our friends in Roman Asia turned their backs on me, and among them Phygellus and Hermogenes. May the Lord show mercy to the household of Anisephorus, for he often cheered me and was not ashamed of my chains. On the contrary, when he arrived in Rome he sought eagerly for me till he found me. The Lord grant that he may find mercy at the hands of the Lord on that day. The many services that he rendered at Ephesus you have the best means of knowing. CHAPTER II Do you then, my child, find strength in the help which comes from union with Christ Jesus, and what you learnt from me in the presence of many listeners in trust to reliable men who will be able in their turn to teach others? Bear hardships with me as a true soldier of Christ Jesus. A soldier on active service to please his superior officer always avoids entangling himself in the affairs of ordinary life. No athlete has ever awarded the wreath of victory unless he has kept the rules. The laborer who does the work should be the first to receive a share of the fruits of the earth. Reflect upon what I say. The Lord will always help you to understand. Right before your mind Jesus Christ raised from the dead a descendant of David as told in the good news entrusted to me, in the service of which I am suffering hardships even to being put in fetters as a criminal. But the message of God is not fettered, and that is why I submit to anything for the sake of God's people that they also may obtain the salvation which comes from union with Christ Jesus and imperishable glory. How true this saying is. If we have shared his death we shall also share his life. If we continue to endure we shall also share his throne. If we should ever disown him he too will disown us. If we lose our trust he is still to be trusted for he cannot be false to himself. Remind people of all this. Urge them solemnly as in the sight of God to avoid controversy, a useless thing and the ruin of those who listen to it. Do your utmost to show yourself true to God, a workman with no reason to be ashamed, accurate in delivering the message of the truth. Avoid profane prattle, those who indulge in it only get deeper into irreligious ways and their teaching will spread like a cancer. Hymenias and felitis are instances of this. They have gone completely astray as regards the truth. They say that a resurrection has already taken place and so upset some people's faith. That God's firm foundation still stands unmoved and it bears this inscription. The Lord knows those who are His and this let all those who use the name of the Lord turn away from wickedness. Now in a large house there are not only things of gold and silver but also others of wood and earthenware, some for better and some for common use. If then a man has escaped from the pollution of such errors as I have mentioned he will be like a thing kept for better use, kept apart, serviceable to its owner, ready for any good purpose. Flea from the passions of youth but pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace in the company of those who with a pure heart invoke the Lord.  He ought on the contrary to be courteous to everyone, a skillful teacher and forbearing. We should instruct his opponents in a gentle spirit for possibly God may give them a repentance that will lead to a fuller knowledge of truth and they may yet come to a sober mind and escape from the snares of the devil when captured by the Lord's servant to do the will of God. Chapter 3 Be sure of this that in the last days difficult times will come. Men will be selfish, mercenary, boastful, haughty and blasphemous, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, impure, incapable of affection, merciless, slanderous, wanting in self- control, brutal, careless of the right, treacherous, reckless and puffed up with pride. They will love pleasure more than they love God and while they retain the outward form of religion they will not allow it to influence them. Turn your back on such men as these, for among them are to be found those who creep into homes and captivate weak women. Women who, loaded with sins and slaves to all kinds of passions, are always learning and yet never able to attain to a real knowledge of the truth. Just as Janus and Jambres opposed Moses, so do these people in their turn oppose the truth. Their minds are corrupted and as regards the faith they are utterly worthless. They will not however make further progress, for their wicked folly will be plain to everyone, just as that of Janus and Jambres was. But you, Timothy, were a close observer of my teaching, my conduct, my purposes, my faith, my forbearance, my love and my patient endurance, as well as of my persecutions and of the sufferings which I met with at Antioch, Iconium and Lystra. You know what persecutions I underwent, and yet the Lord brought me safe out of all. Yes, and all who aim at living a religious life in union with Christ Jesus will have to suffer persecution, but wicked people and imposters will go from bad to worse, deceiving others and deceived themselves. You however must stand by what you learnt and accept it as true. You know who they were from whom you learnt it, and that from your childhood you have known the sacred writings which can give you the wisdom that, through belief in Christ Jesus, leads to salvation. Everything that is written under divine inspiration is helpful for teaching, for refuting error, for giving guidance, and for training others in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be perfect himself and perfectly equipped for every good action. Chapter 4 I solemnly charge you in the sight of God and of Christ Jesus, who will one day judge the living and the dead. I charge you by his appearing and by his kingdom. Proclaim the message. Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, encourage, never failing to instruct with forbearance. For a time will come when people will not tolerate sound teaching. They will follow their own wishes and in their itching for novelty procure themselves a crowd of teachers. They will turn a deaf ear to the truth and give their attention to legends instead. But you, Timothy, must always be temperate. Face hardships. Do the work of a missionary. Judge all the duties of your office. As for me, my lifeblood is already being poured out. The time of my departure is close at hand. I have run the great race. I have finished the course. I have kept the faith. And now the crown of righteousness awaits me, which the Lord, the just Judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me, but to all who have loved his appearing. Do your utmost to come to me soon, for Demas, in his love for the world, has deserted me. He has gone to Thessalonica, Crescians to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia. There is no one but Luke with me.  I have sent Tychicus to Ephesus. Bring with you when you come the cloak which I left at Troas with Carpus, and the books, especially the Parchments. After the coppersmith showed much ill-feeling towards me, the Lord will give him what his actions deserve.  At my first trial no one stood by me. They all deserted me. May it never be counted against them. But the Lord came to my help and strengthened me, in order that through me the proclamation should be made so widely that all the Gentiles should hear it, and I was rescued out of the lion's mouth. The Lord will rescue me from all evil, and bring me safe into his heavenly kingdom. All glory to him for ever and ever. Amen. Give my greeting to Prisca and Aquila, and to the household of Anisephorus. Erastus remained at Corinth, and I left Trofimus ill at Miletus. Do your utmost to come before winter.  May the Lord be with your soul. God bless you all. End of the second letter to Timothy. The letter to Titus. Introduction. The letter to Titus, date in place of writing, uncertain. Nothing is known as to the history of this letter. Titus to whom it is addressed was a Gentile by birth, but after his conversion became a companion to St. Paul in his missionary journeys, and often served as his messenger, he became Corinthians 8, 23, and 12, 18. According to this letter, he was placed by the apostle in charge of the church and the island of Crete. Chapter 1. To Titus, my true child in our one faith, from Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, charged to strengthen the faith of God's chosen people, and their knowledge of that truth which makes for godliness and is based on the hope of immortal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began, and has revealed at his own time in his message with the proclamation of which I was entrusted by the command of God our Savior. May God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior bless you and give you peace. My reason for leaving you in Crete was that you might put in order what had been left unsettled and appoint officers of the churches in the various towns as I myself directed you. They are to be men of irreproachable character, who are faithful husbands, whose children are Christians and have never been charged with disillute conduct or have been unruly. For a presiding officer, as God's steward, ought to be a man of irreproachable character, not self-willed or quick-tempered, nor addicted to drink or to brawling or to questionable money-making. On the contrary, he should be hospitable, eager for the right, discreet, upright, a man of holy life and capable of self-restraint, who holds doctrine that can be relied on as being in accordance with the accepted teaching, so that he may be able to encourage others by sound teaching as well as to refute our opponents. There are indeed many unruly persons, great talkers who deceive themselves, principally converts from Judaism whose mouths ought to be stopped, for they upset whole households by teaching what they ought not to teach merely to make questionable gains. It was a Cretan, one of their own teachers, who said, Cretans are always liars, base-brutes and gluttonous idlers, and this statement is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, so that they may be sound in the faith and may pay no attention to Jewish legends or to the directions of those who turn their backs upon the truth. Everything is pure to the pure-minded, but to those whose minds are polluted and who are unbelievers nothing is pure. Their minds and consciences are alike polluted. They profess to know God, but by their actions they disown Him. They are degraded and self-willed, and as far as anything good is concerned they are utterly worthless. Do you, however, speak of such subjects as properly have a place in sound Christian teaching? Teach that the older men should be temperate, serious, and discreet, strong in faith, love, and endurance. So too that the older women should be reverent in their demeanor, and that they should avoid, scandal, and beware of becoming slaves to drink, that they should teach what is right, so as to train the younger women to love their husbands and children, and to be discreet, pure-minded, domesticated, good women, ready to submit to their husbands in order that God's message may not be maligned. And so again, with the younger men, impress upon them the need of discretion. Above all, set an example of doing good. Show sincerity in your teaching, and a serious spirit. Let the instruction that you give be sound and above reproach, so that the enemy may be ashamed when he fails to find anything bad to say about us. Urge slaves to be submissive to their owners in all circumstances, and to try their best to please them. Teach them not to contradict or to pilfer, but to show such praiseworthy fidelity in everything as to recommend the teaching about God our Savior by all that they do. For the loving-kindness of God has been revealed, bringing salvation for all, leading us to renounce irreligious ways and worldly ambitions, and to live discreet, upright, and religious lives here in this present world, while we are awaiting our blessed hope, the appearing in glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus. For he gave himself on our behalf to deliver us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people who should be peculiarly his own, and eager to do good. Think of all this and encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let any one despise you. CHAPTER 3 Remind your hearers to respect and obey the powers that be, to be ready for every kind of good work, to speak ill of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be forbearing, and under all circumstances to show a gentle spirit in dealing with others, whoever they may be. There was, you remember, a time when we ourselves were foolish, disobedient, misled, slaves to all kinds of passions and vices, living in a spirit of malice and envy, detested ourselves and hating one another. But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for man were revealed, He saved us, not as the result of any righteous actions that we had done, but in fulfillment of His merciful purposes. He saved us by that washing which was a new birth to us, and by the renewing power of the Holy Spirit which He poured out upon us abundantly through Jesus Christ, our Savior, that having been pronounced righteous through His loving kindness, we might enter on our inheritance with the hope of immortal life. How true that saying is, and it is on these subjects that I desire you to lay a special stress so that those who have learnt to trust in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing good. Such subjects are excellent in themselves and of real use to mankind, but have nothing to do with foolish discussions or with genealogies or with controversy or disputes about the law. They are useless and futile. If a man is causing divisions among you, after warning him once or twice, have nothing more to say to him. You may be sure that such a man has forsaken the truth and is in the wrong. He stands self-condemned. As soon as I send Artemis or Tychicus to you, join me as quickly as possible at Nicaplus, for I have arranged to spend the winter there. Do your best to help Zenus, the teacher of the law, and Apollo's on their way and see that they want for nothing. Let all our people learn to devote themselves to doing good, so as to meet the most pressing needs and that their lives may not be unfruitful. All who are with me here send you their greeting. Give my greetings to our friends in the faith. God bless you all. End of the letter to Titus. End of the second letter to Timothy and the letter to Titus. The letter to the Hebrews from the twentieth century New Testament. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by J. A. Carter, www.authenticlight.org. The twentieth century New Testament by a company of about twenty scholars. The letter to the Hebrews. Introduction and chapters one through four. Introduction A letter to Jewish Christians, date in place of writing, uncertain. The traditions concerned in the authorship of this letter are unreliable. From the letter itself it may be safely inferred that the writer was a man of intellectual power, that he was familiar with the modes of thought prevalent in Alexandria, that his home and work lay among Jewish Christians, and that he was in some way connected with those teachers who looked to St. Paul as their leader. It is certain that the Apostle Paul was not the author. The letter has been attributed, with some show of probability, to several writers, in particular to Barnabas, Acts chapter eleven verses twenty-two through twenty-four, and chapter thirteen verses one through five, and to Apollos, Acts eighteen verses twenty-four through twenty-eight. The Jewish Christians to whom the letter is addressed were a community living possibly in Palestine, but more probably in Alexandria or in Rome, and the primary object of the letter was to explain to those who were well acquainted with the ritual of the Old Covenant the fulfillment of its types and the heavenly realities of the Christian faith. From certain passages in the letter it has been inferred that at the time when it was written the worship of the temple had not been entirely swept away, as it was by the Fall of Jerusalem in seventy A.D. CHAPTER ONE God, who of old at many times and in many ways spoke to our ancestors by the prophets, has in these latter days spoken to us by the Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things and through whom he made the universe. For he is the radiance of the glory of God and the very expression of his being, upholding all creation by the power of his word, and when he had made an expiation for the sins of men, he took his seat at the right hand of God's Majesty on high, having shown himself as much greater than the angels as the name that he has inherited surpasses theirs. For to which of the angels did God ever say, Thou art my son, this day I have become thy father? Or again, I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. And again, when God brought the firstborn into the world, he said, Let all the angels of God bow down before him. Speaking of the angels, he said, He makes the winds his angels, and the fiery flames his servants. While of the Son, he said, God is thy throne for ever and ever, the scepter of his kingdom is the scepter of justice, thou lovest righteousness and hatest iniquity, therefore God, thy God, has anointed thee with the festal oil more abundantly than thy peers. Again, thou, Lord, in the beginning did slay the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou remainest. As a garment they shall all grow old, as a mantle thou wilt fold them up, and as a garment they shall be changed, but thou art the same, and thy years shall know no end. To which of the angels has God ever said, Sit thou at my right hand until I put thy enemies as a stool for thy feet? Are not all the angels, spirits, in the service of God sent out to minister for the sake of those who are destined to obtain salvation? CHAPTER II Therefore we must give still more heed to what we were taught, for fear we should drift away. For if the message which was delivered by angels had its authority confirmed, so that every offense against it or neglect of it met with a fitting requital, how can we of all people expect to escape if we disregard so great a salvation? It was the Master who at the outset spoke of this salvation, and its authority was confirmed for us by those who heard him, while God himself added his testimony to it by signs and marvels and many different miracles, as well as the imparting of the Holy Spirit as he saw fit. God has not given to angels the control of that future world of which we are speaking. No, a writer has declared somewhere, What is man that thou shouldst remember him, or a son of man that thou shouldst regard him? Thou hast made him for a while lower than angels, with glory and honor thou hast crowned him, thou hast set him over all thy hands have made, thou hast placed all things beneath his feet. This placing of everything under man means that there was nothing which was not placed under him. Yet however we do not see everything placed under man. What our eyes do see is Jesus, who was made for a little while lower than angels, now because of his sufferings and death crowned with glory and honor, so that his tasting the bitterness of death should in God's loving kindness be on behalf of all mankind. It was indeed fitting that God for whom and through whom all things exist should, when leading many sons to glory, make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering. For he who purifies, and those whom he purifies, all spring from one, and therefore he is not ashamed to call them brothers. He says, I will tell of thy name to my brothers, in the midst of the congregation I will sing thy praise, and again, as for me I will put my trust in God, and yet again, see, here am I and the children whom God gave me. Therefore since human nature is the common heritage of the children, Jesus also shared it, in order that by death he might render powerless him whose power lies in death, that is the devil, and so might deliver all those who from fear of death had all their lives been living in slavery. It was not, surely, to the help of the angels that Jesus came, but to the help of the descendants of Abraham, and consequently it was necessary that he should in all points be made like his brothers, in order that he might prove a merciful as well as a faithful high priest in man's relations with God, for the purpose of expiating the sins of his people. The fact that he himself suffered under temptation enables him to help those who are tempted. CHAPTER 3 Therefore, Christian brothers, you who all alike have received the call from heaven, fix your attention on Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our religion. See how faithful he was to the God who appointed him, as Moses was in the whole house of God. He has been deemed worthy of far higher honor than Moses, just as the founder of the house is held in greater regard than the house itself. For every house has its founder, and the founder of the universe is God. While the faithful service of Moses and the whole house of God was that of a servant, whose duty was to bear testimony to a message still to come, the faithfulness of Christ was that of a son, said over the house of God. And we are his house, if only we retain unshaken to the end the courage and confidence inspired by our hope. Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, if today you hear God's voice, harden not your hearts, as when Israel provoked me, on the day when they tried my patience in the desert where your ancestors tried my forbearance and saw my mighty deeds for forty years. Therefore I was sorely vexed with that generation, that I said, their hearts are always straying, they have never learnt my ways, while in my wrath I swore, they shall never enter upon my rest. Be careful, brothers, that there is never found in any one of you a wicked and faithless heart, shown by his separating himself from the living God. Rather encourage one another daily, while there is a today, to prevent any one among you from being hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we now all share in the Christ, if indeed we retain unshaken to the end the confidence that we had at the first. To use the words of Scripture, if today you hear God's voice, harden not your hearts, as when Israel provoked me. Who were they who heard God speak and yet provoked him? Were not they all those who left Egypt under the leadership of Moses? And with whom was it that God was sorely vexed for forty years? Was it not with those who had sinned and who fell dead in the desert? And who were they to whom God swore that they should not enter upon his rest, if not those who had proved faithless? We see, then, that they fail to enter upon it because of their want of faith. We must therefore be very careful, though there is a promise still standing that we shall enter upon God's rest, that none of you even appear to have missed it. For we have had that good news told us just as they had, but the message which they heard did them no good, since they did not share the faith of those who were attentive to it. Upon that rest we who have believed are now entering. As God has said, In my wrath I swore, they shall never enter upon my rest. Although God's work was finished at the creation of the world, for in a passage referring to the seventh day you will find these words. God rested upon the seventh day after all his work. On the other hand, we read in that passage, They shall never enter upon my rest. Since then there is still a promise that some shall enter upon his rest, and since those who were first told the good news did not enter upon it because of their disbelief, again God fixed a day. Today, he said, speaking after a long interval through the mouth of David in the passage already quoted, If today you hear God's voice, harden not your hearts. Now if Joshua had given rest to the people, God would not have spoken of another and later day. There is then a Sabbath rest still awaiting God's people. For he who enters upon God's rest does himself rest after his work, just as God did. Let us therefore make every effort to enter upon that rest, so that none of us fall through such disbelief as that which we have had an example. God's message is a living and active power, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing its way till it penetrates soul and spirit, not the joints only, but the very marrow, and detecting the inmost thoughts and purposes of the mind. There is no created thing that can hide itself from the sight of God. Sinning is exposed and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we have to give account. We have then, in Jesus the Son of God, a great high priest who has passed into the highest heaven. Let us therefore hold fast to the faith which we have professed. Our high priest is not one unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has in every way been tempted exactly as we have been, but without sinning. Therefore let us draw near boldly to the throne of love to find pity and love for the hour of need. CHAPTER V Every high priest taken from among men is appointed as a representative of his fellow men in their relations with God to offer both gifts and sacrifices in expiation of sins, and he is able to sympathize with the ignorant and deluded, since he is himself subject to weakness and is therefore bound to offer sacrifices for sins not only for the people, but equally so for himself. Nor does anyone take that high office upon himself till he has been called to do so by God as Aaron was. In the same way, even the Christ did not take the honor of the high priesthood upon himself, but he was appointed by him who said to him, Thou art my son, this day I have become thy father. And on another occasion also, Thou art a priest for all time of the order of Melchizedek. Jesus, in the days of his earthly life, offered prayers and supplications with earnest cries and with tears to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his devout submission. Son though he was, he learnt obedience from his sufferings, and being made perfect he became to all those who obey him the source of eternal salvation, while God himself pronounced him a high priest of the order of Melchizedek. Now on this subject I have much to say, but it is difficult to explain it to you, because you have shown yourselves so slow to learn, for whereas considering the time that has elapsed you ought to be teaching others, you still need someone to teach you the very alphabet of the Divine Revelation and need again to be fed with milk instead of with solid food. For every one who still has to take milk knows nothing of the teaching of righteousness. He is a mere infant, but solid food is for Christians of mature faith, those whose faculties have been trained by practice to distinguish right from wrong. CHAPTER VI Therefore let us leave behind the elementary teaching about the Christ and press on to perfection, not always laying over again a foundation of repentance for a lifeless formality, of faith in God, teaching concerning baptisms and the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and a final judgment. Yes, and with God's help we will. For if those who were once for all brought into the light and learnt to appreciate the gift from heaven and came to share in the Holy Spirit and learnt to appreciate the beauty of the Divine Message and the new powers of the coming age, if those I say fell away, it would be impossible to bring them again to repentance. They would be crucifying the Son of God all over again for themselves and exposing him to open contempt. Ground that drinks in the showers that from time to time fall upon it, and produces vegetation useful to those for whom it is tilled, receives a blessing from God. But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is regarded as worthless, it is in danger of being cursed, and its end will be the fire. But about you, dear friends, even though we speak in this way, we are confident of better things, of things that point to your salvation. For God is not unjust. He will not forget the work that you did, and the love that you showed in His name and sending help to your fellow Christians as you are still doing. But our great desire is that every one of you should be equally earnest to attain to a full conviction that our hope will be fulfilled, and that you should keep that hope to the end. Then you will not show yourselves slow to learn, but you will copy those who through faith and patience are now entering upon the enjoyment of God's promises. When God gave His promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater by whom He could swear, He swore by Himself. His words were, I will assuredly bless thee and increase thy numbers. And so, after patiently waiting, Abraham obtained the fulfillment of God's promise. Men of course swear by what is greater than themselves, and with them an oath is accepted as putting a matter beyond all dispute. And therefore God, in His desire to show with unmistakable plainness to those who were to enter on the enjoyment of what He had promised, the unchangeableness of His purpose, bound Himself with an oath. For He intended us to find great encouragement in these two unchangeable things which make it impossible for God to prove false. We, I mean, who fled for safety where we might lay whole on the hope set before us. This hope is a very anchor for our souls, secure and strong, and it reaches into the sanctuary that lies behind the curtain where Jesus, our forerunner, has entered on our behalf after being made for all time a High Priest of the Order of Melchizedek. Chapter 7 It was this Melchizedek, King of Salem, and Priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and gave him his blessing. And it was to him that Abraham allotted a tithe of all the meaning of his name is King of Righteousness, and beside that it was also King of Salem, which means King of Peace. There is no record of his father or mother or lineage, nor again of any beginning of his days or end of his life. In this he resembles the Son of God, and stands before us as a priest whose priesthood is continuous. Consider then the importance of this Melchizedek to whom even the patriarch Abraham himself gave a tithe of the choicest spoils. Those descendants of Levi, who are from time to time appointed to the priesthood, are directed to collect tithes from the people in accordance with the law, that is, from their own brothers, although they are also descended from Abraham. But Melchizedek, although not of this lineage, received tithes from Abraham, and gave his blessing to the very man who had God's promises. Now no one can dispute that it is the superior who blesses the inferior. In the one case the tithes are received by mortal men. In the other case, by one about whom there is the statement that his life still continues. Moreover, in a sense even Levi, who is the receiver of the tithes, has through Abraham paid tithes, for Levi was still in the body of his ancestor when Melchizedek met Abraham. If then perfection had been attainable through the Levitical priesthood, and it was under this priesthood that the people received the law, why was it still necessary that a priest of a different order should appear, a priest of the order of Melchizedek and not of the order of Aaron? With the change of the priesthood, a change of the law became a necessity, and he of whom all this is said belonged to quite a different tribe, no member of which has ever served at the altar, for it is plain that our Lord has sprung from the tribe of Judah, though of that tribe Moses said nothing about there being priests. All this becomes even yet plainer when we remember that a new priest has appeared resembling Melchizedek and that he was appointed not under a law regulating only earthly matters, but by virtue of a life beyond the reach of death, for that is the meaning of the declaration, thou art for all time a priest of the order of Melchizedek. On the one hand we have the abolition of a previous regulation as being both inefficient and useless, for the law never brought anything to perfection, and on the other hand we have the introduction of a better hope which enables us to draw near to God. Then again the appointment of this new priest was ratified by an oath, which is not so with the Levitical priests, but his appointment was ratified by an oath when God said to him, The Lord has sworn and will not change, thou art a priest for all time, and the oath shows the corresponding superiority of the covenant of which Jesus is appointed the surety. Again new Levitical priests are continually being appointed because death prevents their remaining in office, Jesus remains for all time and therefore the priesthood that he holds is never liable to pass to another, and that is why he is able to save perfectly those who come to God through him, living forever as he does to intercede on their behalf. This was the high priest that we needed, holy, innocent, spotless, withdrawn from centers, exalted above the highest heaven, one who has no need to offer sacrifices daily as those high priests have, first for their own sins, and then for those of the people. For this he did once and for all when he offered himself as the sacrifice. The law appoints as high priests men who are liable to infirmity, but the words of God's oath, which was later than the law, name the Son as, for all time, the perfect priest. CHAPTER 8 To sum up what I have been saying. Such is the high priest that we have, one who has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God's majesty in heaven, where he ministers in the sanctuary in that true tabernacle set up by the Lord and not by man. Every high priest is appointed for the purpose of offering gifts and sacrifices to God. It follows, therefore, that this high priest must have some offering to make. If he were, however, still upon earth he would not even be a priest since there are already priests who offer the gifts as the law directs. These priests, it is true, are engaged in a service which is only a copy and shadow of the heavenly realities, as is shown by the directions given to Moses when he was about to construct the tabernacle. Look to it, are the words, that thou make every part in accordance with the pattern shown there on the mountain. But Jesus, as we see, has obtained a ministry as far excelling theirs as the covenant of which he is the intermediary, based as it is on better promises, excels the form of covenant. If that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion for a second. But finding fault with the people, God says, Behold, a time is coming, says the Lord, when I will ratify a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. Not such a covenant as I made with their ancestors, on the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt. For they did not abide by their covenant with me, and therefore I disregarded them, says the Lord. This is the covenant that I will make with the people of Israel after those days, says the Lord. I will impress my laws on their minds and will inscribe them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. There shall be no need for every man to instruct his fellow citizen, or for a man to say to his brother, Learn to know the Lord. For everyone will know me, from the lowest to the highest, for I will be merciful to their wrongdoings, and I will no longer remember their sins. By speaking of a new covenant, God at once renders the former covenant obsolete, and whatever becomes obsolete and loses its force is virtually annulled. CHAPTER IX It is true that even the first covenant had its regulations for divine worship at its sanctuary, though only a material one. For a tabernacle was constructed with an outer part which contained the stand for the lamps and the table and the consecrated bread. This is called the sanctuary. The part of the tabernacle behind the second curtain is called the inner sanctuary. In it is the gold incense altar and the ark containing the covenant completely covered with gold. In the ark is a gold casket containing the mana, errands, rod that butted, and the tablets on which the covenant was written, while above it and overshadowing the cover on which atonement was made are the caribbean of the presence. I must not now dwell on these things in detail. Such then was the arrangement of the tabernacle. Into the outer part priests are constantly going in the discharge of their sacred duties, but into the inner only the high priest goes, and that but once a year, and never without taking the blood of a victim which he offers on his own behalf and on behalf of the errors of the people. By this the Holy Spirit is teaching that the way into the sanctuary was hidden as long as the outer part of the temple still remained, for that was only a type to continue down to the present time, and in keeping with it both gifts and sacrifices are offered, though incapable of satisfying the conscience of the worshipper. The whole system being concerned only with food and drink and various ablutions, external ceremonials imposed until the coming of the new order. But when Christ came, he appeared as high priest of that better system which was established, and he entered through that nobler and more perfect tabernacle not made by human hands, that is to say not a part of this present creation, nor was it with the blood of goats and calves, but with his own blood that he entered once and for all into the sanctuary and obtained our eternal deliverance, for if the blood of goats and bulls and the sprinkling of the ashes of a heifer purify those who have been defiled as far as ceremonial purification goes, how much more with the blood of the Christ, who through his eternal spirit offered himself up to God as a victim without blemish, purify our consciences from a lifeless formality and fit us for the service of the living God, and that is why he is the intermediary of a new covenant, in order that as a death has taken place to affect deliverance from the offenses committed under the first covenant, those who have received the call may obtain the eternal inheritance promised to them. Whenever such a covenant as a will is in question, the death of the testator must of necessity be alleged, for such a covenant takes effect only upon death, it does not come into force as long as the testator is alive. This explains why even the first covenant was not ratified without the shedding of blood, for when every command had been announced to all the people by Moses in accordance with the law, he took the blood of the calves and of the goats with water, scarlet wool and a bunch of hyssop, and sprinkled even the book of the law as well as all the people saying as he did so, this is the blood that renders valid the covenant which God has commanded to be made with you, and in the same way he also sprinkled with blood the tabernacle and all things that were used in public worship. Indeed under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and unless blood is shed, no forgiveness is to be obtained. While then it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly realities to be purified by such means as these, the heavenly realities themselves required better sacrifices, for it was not into a sanctuary made by human hands which merely foreshadowed the true one that Christ entered, but into heaven itself that he might now appear in the presence of God on our behalf, nor yet was it to offer himself many times as year after year the high priest entered the sanctuary with an offering of blood, but not his own blood, for then Christ would have had to undergo death many times since the creation of the world. But now once and for all at the close of the age he has appeared in order to abolish sin by the sacrifice of himself, and as it is ordained for men to die but once, death being followed by judgment, so it is with the Christ. He was offered up once and for all to bear away the sins of many, and the second time he will appear, but without any burden of sin to those who are waiting for him to bring salvation. End of the Letter to the Hebrews, chapters 5 through 9.