Prescrição contra os Hereges 21

1Mas, como a prova está tão próxima que, se a apresentássemos já, nada restaria a tratar, concedamos por um momento a palavra à parte contrária, caso julgue poder invalidar essa regra, como se nenhuma prova pudéssemos oferecer. Costumam dizer que os apóstolos não sabiam todas as coisas; impelidos, porém, pela mesma insensatez, passam à afirmação oposta: que os apóstolos certamente sabiam tudo, mas não transmitiram tudo a todos. Em ambos os casos, atribuem culpa a Cristo por enviar apóstolos com demasiada ignorância ou insuficiente franqueza.

1But inasmuch as the proof is so near at hand, that if it were at once produced there would be nothing left to be dealt with, let us give way for a while to the opposite side, if they think that they can find some means of invalidating this rule, just as if no proof were forthcoming from us. They usually tell us that the apostles did not know all things: (but herein) they are impelled by the same madness, whereby they turn round to the very opposite point, and declare that the apostles certainly knew all things, but did not deliver all things to all persons,--in either case exposing Christ to blame for having sent forth apostles who had either too much ignorance, or too little simplicity.

2Que homem sensato poderia supor que ignorassem alguma coisa aqueles que o Senhor designou mestres e manteve inseparáveis de si na convivência, no discipulado e na companhia? Quando estavam sós, ele lhes costumava explicar tudo o que era obscuro, dizendo-lhes que a eles fora dado conhecer os mistérios que ao povo não era permitido entender.

2What man, then, of sound mind can possibly suppose that they were ignorant of anything, whom the Lord ordained to be masters (or teachers), keeping them, as He did, inseparable (from Himself) in their attendance, in their discipleship, in their society, to whom, "when they were alone, He used to expound" all things which were obscure, telling them that "to them it was given to know those mysteries," which it was not permitted the people to understand?

3Algo foi ocultado a Pedro, chamado ‘a pedra sobre a qual seria edificada a Igreja’, que também recebeu ‘as chaves do reino dos céus’, com o poder de ‘ligar e desligar no céu e na terra’? Algo foi escondido de João, o discípulo mais amado do Senhor, que se reclinava sobre seu peito, o único a quem o Senhor indicou Judas como traidor e a quem confiou Maria como mãe em seu próprio lugar? Em que poderia ele querer que fossem ignorantes aqueles a quem mostrou sua glória com Moisés e Elias e ainda a voz do Pai vinda do céu?

3Was anything withheld from the knowledge of Peter, who is called "the rock on which the church should be built," who also obtained "the keys of the kingdom of heaven," with the power of "loosing and binding in heaven and on earth?" Was anything, again, concealed from John, the Lord's most beloved disciple, who used to lean on His breast to whom alone the Lord pointed Judas out as the traitor, whom He commended to Mary as a son in His own stead? Of what could He have meant those to be ignorant, to whom He even exhibited His own glory with Moses and Elias, and the Father's voice moreover, from heaven?

4Não que assim desaprovasse todos os demais, mas porque ‘pela palavra de três testemunhas se estabelece toda declaração’. Da mesma forma, suponho, seriam ignorantes aqueles a quem, depois da ressurreição, enquanto caminhavam juntos, ele se dignou ‘explicar todas as Escrituras’. Sem dúvida dissera: ‘Ainda tenho muitas coisas a dizer-vos, mas agora não podeis suportá-las’; contudo acrescentou: ‘Quando vier o Espírito da verdade, ele vos guiará a toda a verdade.’ Assim mostra que nada permaneceria desconhecido daqueles a quem prometera, com a ajuda do Espírito da verdade, o conhecimento pleno da verdade. E certamente cumpriu sua promessa, pois os Atos dos Apóstolos comprovam que o Espírito Santo desceu.

4Not as if He thus disapproved of all the rest, but because "by three witnesses must every word be established." After the same fashion, too, (I suppose,) were they ignorant to whom, after His resurrection also, He vouchsafed, as they were journeying together, "to expound all the Scriptures." No doubt He had once said, "I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot hear them now;" but even then He added, "When He, the Spirit of truth, shall come, He will lead you into all truth." He (thus) shows that there was nothing of which they were ignorant, to whom He had promised the future attainment of all truth by help of the Spirit of truth. And assuredly He fulfilled His promise, since it is proved in the Acts of the Apostles that the Holy Ghost did come down.

5Aqueles que rejeitam esse livro não podem pertencer ao Espírito Santo, já que não reconhecem que ele tenha sido enviado aos discípulos, nem podem arrogar-se o nome de igreja, pois não têm meios de provar quando e em que condições essa comunidade foi estabelecida. É-lhes muito importante não possuir provas daquilo que sustentam, para que com elas não venham à luz revelações prejudiciais sobre o que inventam falsamente.

5Now they who reject that Scripture can neither belong to the Holy Spirit, seeing that they cannot acknowledge that the Holy Ghost has been sent as yet to the disciples, nor can they presume to claim to be a church themselves who positively have no means of proving when, and with what swaddling-clothes this body was established. Of so much importance is it to them not to have any proofs for the things which they maintain, lest along with them there be introduced damaging exposures of those things which they mendaciously devise.