The Two Ways

There are two ways: one of life and one of death, and the difference between the two ways is great. Now the way of life is this. First, love the God who made you; second, your neighbor as yourself; and whatever you do not want done to you, do not do to anyone else. The teaching of these words is this: bless those who curse you, pray for your enemies, and fast for those who persecute you. What credit is it to you if you love those who love you? Do not the nations do the same? But you — love those who hate you, and you will not have an enemy. [a]

Keep away from cravings of the flesh and of the body. If someone slaps you on the right cheek, turn the other to him as well, and you will be perfect. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two. If someone takes your cloak, give him your tunic as well. If someone takes what is yours, do not ask for it back; you cannot anyway. Give to everyone who asks you, and do not ask for it back, for the Father wants his own gifts given to everyone. Blessed is the one who gives according to the command, for he is innocent. But woe to the one who receives! If a person receives because he is in need, he is innocent; but the one who receives without needing it will pay the penalty for why he received and for what. He will be put in custody and questioned about what he did, and he will not get out of there until he has paid back the last quadrans. And about this it has also been said: “Let your gift sweat in your hands until you know whom you are giving it to.”

And the second command of the teaching: Do not murder. Do not commit adultery. Do not molest children. Do not be sexually immoral. Do not steal. Do not practice magic. Do not use potions and spells. Do not murder a child by abortion, and do not kill one already born. Do not crave what belongs to your neighbor. Do not swear falsely. Do not give false testimony. Do not speak evil of anyone. Do not hold a grudge. Do not be double-minded or double-tongued, for a double tongue is a deadly trap. Your word shall not be false or empty, but filled out by what you do. Do not be greedy or a robber or a hypocrite or spiteful or arrogant. Do not plot evil against your neighbor. Do not hate anyone; but some you are to correct, for some you are to pray, and some you are to love more than your own life. [f]

My child, run from everything evil and from everything that resembles it. Do not be quick to anger, for anger leads the way to murder; and do not be jealous or argumentative or hot-tempered, for murders are born out of all these. My child, do not be a man of cravings, for craving leads the way to sexual immorality; and do not be foul-mouthed or let your eyes rove, for adulteries are born out of all these. My child, do not be a reader of omens, since that leads to idolatry; and do not chant spells or practice astrology or perform purifications, and do not even want to look at such things, for idolatry is born out of all these. My child, do not be a liar, since lying leads to theft; and do not love money or hunger for praise, for thefts are born out of all these. My child, do not be a grumbler, since it leads to speaking against God; and do not be stubborn or evil-minded, for speech against God is born out of all these. [h]

Be gentle, since the gentle will inherit the earth. Be patient and merciful and without malice, quiet and good, and always trembling at the words you have heard. Do not exalt yourself, and do not let your soul become presumptuous. Your soul is not to be joined to the proud; live among the righteous and the humble instead. Take whatever happens to you as good, knowing that nothing happens apart from God.

My child, remember night and day the one who speaks the word of God to you, and honor him as the Lord; for where the Lord’s rule is spoken of, there the Lord is. Seek out the faces of the holy ones every day, so that you may find rest in their words. Do not long for division; make peace between those who are fighting. Judge fairly, and show no favoritism when you correct a wrong. Do not be double-minded, wondering whether a thing will happen or not. [j]

Do not be a man who stretches out his hands to receive and pulls them back when it is time to give. If you have something by the work of your hands, give it as a ransom for your sins. Do not hesitate to give, and do not grumble while you give; you will find out who the good paymaster is. Do not turn away from anyone in need. Share everything with your brother, and do not say that any of it is your own; for if you are partners in what is immortal, how much more in what is mortal.

Do not withhold your hand from your son or your daughter, but teach them the fear of God from their earliest years. Do not give orders in your bitterness to your male slave or your slave girl, who hope in the same God, or they may stop fearing the God who is over you both; for he does not come to call people by their rank, but those whom the Spirit has prepared. And you slaves, submit to your masters as to a figure of God, with modesty and fear. Hate every kind of hypocrisy and everything that does not please the Lord. Do not abandon the commands of the Lord; guard what you received, adding nothing and taking nothing away. In the church confess your offenses, and do not come to your prayer with a bad conscience. This is the way of life.

And the way of death is this. First of all it is evil and full of curse: murders, adulteries, cravings, sexual immorality, thefts, idolatries, magic arts, potions and spells, robberies, false testimony, hypocrisies, a divided heart, deceit, arrogance, malice, stubbornness, greed, filthy talk, jealousy, presumption, conceit, boasting. [l]

It is the way of persecutors of good people, who hate truth and love a lie, who do not know the reward for righteousness, who hold neither to what is good nor to fair judgment, who lie awake not for good but for evil. Gentleness and endurance are far from them. They love worthless things and chase after a reward. They have no pity for a poor man and do not trouble themselves over the oppressed. They do not know the one who made them. They murder children and destroy what God has formed. They turn away from the needy and grind down the afflicted. They are advocates for the rich and lawless judges of the poor — sinners through and through. Children, may you be rescued from all of these.

See that no one leads you astray from this way of the teaching, since anyone who does is teaching you without God. If you can carry the whole yoke of the Lord, you will be perfect; but if you cannot, do what you can. And about food, carry what you can; but keep strictly away from what has been sacrificed to idols, for that is the worship of dead gods. [m]

And about baptism, baptize this way. After you have said all these things first, baptize into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, in running water. If you do not have running water, baptize in other water; and if you cannot in cold, then in warm. If you have neither, pour water on the head three times, into the name of Father and Son and Holy Spirit. Before the baptism, let the one baptizing fast, and the one being baptized, and any others who can; and tell the one being baptized to fast a day or two beforehand. [n]

Do not let your fasts fall with the hypocrites’. They fast on Monday and Thursday; you fast on Wednesday and on the Preparation, Friday. And do not pray as the hypocrites do, but as the Lord commanded in his Gospel. Pray this way: [o]

Pray this way three times a day.

And about the thanksgiving, give thanks this way. First, over the cup: [q]

And over the broken bread:

Let no one eat or drink of your thanksgiving except those who have been baptized into the name of the Lord; for about this the Lord said, “Do not give what is holy to the dogs.”

After you have had your fill, give thanks this way: [t]

But let the prophets give thanks as much as they want.

So whoever comes and teaches you everything that has been said above — welcome him. But if the teacher himself turns and teaches a different teaching, one that pulls this down, do not listen to him; but if he teaches so as to increase righteousness and the knowledge of the Lord, welcome him as the Lord. And about the apostles and prophets, act according to the rule of the Gospel. [v]

Let every apostle who comes to you be welcomed as the Lord. But he is not to stay more than one day, or a second if there is need; if he stays three days, he is a false prophet. When the apostle leaves, let him take nothing but bread, enough to last until he finds lodging; if he asks for money, he is a false prophet.

Do not test or judge any prophet who speaks in the Spirit, for every sin will be forgiven, but this sin will not be forgiven. Not everyone who speaks in the Spirit is a prophet, though — only the one who holds to the ways of the Lord. So the false prophet and the true prophet will be known by their ways. Any prophet who calls for a meal while in the Spirit does not eat from it himself; if he does, he is a false prophet. And any prophet who teaches the truth but does not do what he teaches is a false prophet. But a prophet who has been tested and found genuine, and who acts toward an earthly mystery of the church, yet does not teach others to do what he does himself — do not judge him. His judgment rests with God, for the ancient prophets acted the same way. But if anyone says in the Spirit, “Give me money,” or anything else, do not listen to him; if he tells you to give it for others who are in need, let no one judge him.

Welcome everyone who comes in the name of the Lord; then test him and you will find out what he is, for you will have understanding, right and left. If the one who comes is only passing through, help him as much as you can; but he is not to stay with you more than two or three days, and then only if there is need. If he wants to settle among you and he has a trade, let him work and eat. If he has no trade, use your own judgment to see to it that no Christian lives among you idle. If he refuses to do this, he is peddling Christ. Watch out for people like that. [w]

Every true prophet who wants to settle among you deserves his food. In the same way a true teacher, like any workman, deserves his food. So take the first of everything the winepress and the threshing floor produce, and of the cattle and the sheep, and give the firstfruits to the prophets; for they are your high priests. If you have no prophet, give it to the poor. If you make a batch of dough, take the firstfruits and give according to the command. In the same way, when you open a jar of wine or oil, take the firstfruits and give it to the prophets. And of money and clothing and everything you own, take the firstfruits, as much as seems right to you, and give according to the command. [x]

On the Lord’s own day gather together, break bread, and give thanks, after you have first confessed your offenses, so that your sacrifice may be pure. But let no one who has a quarrel with a companion join you until they have been reconciled, so that your sacrifice is not defiled. For this is what was spoken by the Lord: “In every place and time offer me a pure sacrifice; for I am a great King, says the Lord, and my name is wonderful among the nations.” [y]

So appoint for yourselves overseers and deacons worthy of the Lord: men who are gentle, not lovers of money, truthful and tested; for they too carry out for you the service of the prophets and teachers. Do not look down on them, then; they are your honored men, along with the prophets and teachers. Correct one another, not in anger but in peace, as you have it in the Gospel. And when someone wrongs another, let no one speak to him and let him hear nothing from you until he repents. Say your prayers, give your gifts to the poor, and do everything else as you have it in the Gospel of our Lord. [z]

Keep watch over your life. Do not let your lamps go out, and do not let your belts hang loose; be ready, for you do not know the hour when our Lord is coming. Meet together often, looking for what your souls need; the whole time of your faith will do you no good unless you are made perfect at the last time. [aa]

For in the last days the false prophets and the corrupters will multiply, and the sheep will be turned into wolves, and love will be turned into hate. As lawlessness increases, people will hate one another and persecute and betray one another; and then the world-deceiver will appear as the Son of God, and he will do signs and wonders, and the earth will be handed over into his hands, and he will commit outrages such as have never happened since the beginning of the age. Then the human race will come into the fire that tests, and many will be tripped up and will perish; but those who endure in their faith will be saved by the curse itself.

And then the signs of the truth will appear: first, the sign of a spreading out in the sky; then the sign of a trumpet’s sound; and third, the resurrection of the dead — not of everyone, but as it was said: “The Lord will come, and all his holy ones with him.” Then the world will see the Lord coming on the clouds of heaven.