Footnote 270:[ (return) ]
The "facts" of the history of Jesus were handed down to the following period as mysteries predicted in the Old Testament, but the idea of sacrifice was specially attached to the death of Christ, certainly without any closer definition. It is very noteworthy that in the Romish baptismal confession, the Davidic Sonship of Jesus, the baptism, the descent into the under-world, and the setting up of a glorious Kingdom on the earth, are not mentioned. These articles do not appear even in the parallel confessions which began to be formed. The hesitancy that yet prevailed here with regard to details, is manifest from the fact, for example, that instead of the formula, "Jesus was born of (εκ) Mary," is found the other, "He was born through (δια) Mary" (see Justin, Apol. I. 22. 31-33, 54, 63; Dial. 23. 43, 45. 48, 57. 54, 63, 66, 75, 85, 87, 100, 105, 120, 127), Iren. (I. 7. 2) and Tertull. (de carne 20) first contested the δια against the Valentinians.
Footnote 271:[ (return) ]
This was strongly emphasised see my remarks on Barn. 2. 3. The Jewish cultus is often brought very close to the heathen by Gentile Christian writers: Praed. Petri (Clem. Strom. VI. 5. 41) καινως τον θεον δια του Χριστου σεβομεθα. The statement in Joh. IV. 24, πνευμα 'ο θεος και τους προσκυνουντας αυτον εν πνευματι και αληθειας δει προσκυνειν, was for long the guiding principle for the Christian worship of God.
Footnote 272:[ (return) ]
Ps. LI. 19 is thus opposed to the ceremonial system (Barn. 2. 10). Polycarp consumed by fire is (Mart. 14. 1) compared to a κριος επισημος εκ μεγαλου ποιμνιου εις προσφοραν ολοκαυτωμα δεκτον τωι θεωι 'ητοιμασμενον.
Footnote 273:[ (return) ]
See Barn. 6. 15, 16, 7-9, Tatian Orat. 15, Ignat. ad. Eph. 9. 15, Herm Mand. V. etc. The designation of Christians as priests is not often found.
Footnote 274:[ (return) ]
Justin, Apol. I. 9. Dial. 117 'οτι μεν ουν και ευχαι κα ευχαριστιαι, 'υπο των αξιων γινομεναι τελειαι μοναι και ευαρεστοι εισι τωι θεωι θυσιαι και αυτος φημι, see also still the later Fathers: Clem. Strom. VII. 6. 31: 'ημεις δι ευχης τιμωμεν τον θεον και ταυτην την θυσιαν αριστην και 'αγιωτατην μετα δικαιοσυνης αναπεμπομεν τωι δικαιωι λογωι, Iren. III. 18. 3, Ptolem ad. Floram. 3: προσφορας προσφερειν προσεταξεν 'ημιν 'ο σωτηρ αλλα ουχι τας δι αλογων ζωων 'η τουτων των δωμιαματων αλλα δια πνευματικων αινων και δοξων και ευχαριστιας και δια της εις τους πλησιον κοινωνιας και ευποιιας.
Footnote 275:[ (return) ]
The Jewish regulations about fastings together with the Jewish system of sacrifice were rejected, but on the other hand, in virtue of words of the Lord, fasts were looked upon as a necessary accompaniment of prayer and definite arrangements were already made for them (see Barn. 3, Didache 8, Herm. Sim. V. 1. ff). The fast is to have a special value from the fact that whatever one saved by means of it is to be given to the poor (see Hermas and Aristides, Apol. 15, "And if any one among the Christians is poor and in want, and they have not overmuch of the means of life, they fast two or three days in order that they may provide those in need with the food they require"). The statement of James I. 27 θρησκεια καθαρα και αμιαντος παρα τω θεω και πατρι 'αυτη εστιν επισκεπτεσθαι ορφανους και χηρας εν τη θλιψει αυτων, was again and again inculcated in diverse phraseology (Polycarp Ep. 4, called the Widows θυσιαστηριον of the community). Where moralistic views preponderated as in Hermas and 2 Clement good works were already valued in detail, prayers, fasts, alms appeared separately, and there was already introduced especially under the influence of the so-called deutero-canonical writings of the Old Testament the idea of a special meritoriousness of certain performances in fasts and alms (see 2 Clem. 16. 4). Still the idea of the Christian moral life as a whole occupied the foreground (see Didache cc. 1-5) and the exhortations to love God and one's neighbour, which as exhortations to a moral life were brought forward in every conceivable relation, supplemented the general summons to renounce the world just as the official diaconate of the churches originating in the cultus, prevented the decomposition of them into a society of ascetics.
Footnote 276:[ (return) ]
For details, see below in the case of the Lord's Supper. It is specially important that even charity, through its union with the cultus, appeared as sacrificial worship (see e.g. Polyc. Ep. 4. 3).
Footnote 277:[ (return) ]
The idea of sacrifice adopted by the Gentile Christian communities, was that which was expressed in individual prophetic sayings and in the Psalms, a spiritualising of the Semitic Jewish sacrificial ritual which, however, had not altogether lost its original features. The entrance of Greek ideas of sacrifice cannot be traced before Justin. Neither was there as yet any reflection as to the connection of the sacrifice of the Church with the sacrifice of Christ upon the cross.
Footnote 278:[ (return) ]
See my Texte und Unters. z Gesch. d. Altchristl. Lit. II. 1. 2, p. 88 ff., p. 137 ff.
Footnote 279:[ (return) ]
There neither was a "doctrine" of Baptism and the Lord's Supper, nor was there any inner connection presupposed between these holy actions. They were here and there placed together as actions by the Lord.