Prescrição contra os Hereges 25

1Além disso, se tivesse confiado a alguém o ministério do evangelho, teria acrescentado a ordem de não o exercer em todo lugar nem indistintamente diante de todos, conforme a palavra do Senhor: ‘Não lanceis pérolas aos porcos nem deis aos cães o que é santo.’ O Senhor falou abertamente, sem sugerir mistério oculto algum. Ele mesmo ordenara que tudo o que ‘ouviram nas trevas’ e em segredo fosse ‘proclamado à luz e sobre os telhados’. Ele mesmo mostrara, numa parábola, que não deviam guardar em segredo, sem produzir fruto, uma única moeda, isto é, uma única palavra sua.

1Besides which, it must have followed, that, for the man to whom he committed the ministration of the gospel, he would add the injunction that it be not ministered in all places, and without respect to persons, in accordance with the Lord's saying, "Not to cast one's pearls before swine, nor that which is holy unto dogs." Openly did the Lord speak, without any intimation of a hidden mystery. He had Himself commanded that, "whatsoever they had heard in darkness" and in secret, they should "declare in the light and on the house-tops." He had Himself fore-shown, by means of a parable, that they should not keep back in secret, fruitless of interest, a single pound, that is, one word of His.

2Ele costumava dizer-lhes que uma lâmpada não é ‘colocada sob o alqueire, mas sobre o candeeiro’, para ‘iluminar todos os que estão na casa’. Os apóstolos ou negligenciaram essas palavras ou não as compreenderam, se deixaram de cumpri-las, ocultando alguma parte da luz, isto é, da palavra de Deus e do mistério de Cristo. Estou certo de que não temiam ninguém, nem judeus nem gentios violentos; com maior liberdade, portanto, certamente pregariam na Igreja, eles que não se calavam nas sinagogas e nos lugares públicos. De fato, não poderiam converter judeus nem acolher gentios sem ‘expor ordenadamente’ aquilo em que queriam que cressem.

2He used Himself to tell them that a candle was not usually "pushed away under a bushel, but placed on a candlestick," in order to "give light to all who are in the house." These things the apostles either neglected, or failed to understand, if they fulfilled them not, by concealing any portion of the light, that is, of the word of God and the mystery of Christ. Of no man, I am quite sure, were they afraid,--neither of Jews nor of Gentiles in their violence; with all the greater freedom, then, would they certainly preach in the church, who held not their tongue in synagogues and public places. Indeed they would have found it impossible either to convert Jews or to bring in Gentiles, unless they "set forth in order" that which they would have them believe.

3Muito menos, quando as igrejas já estavam adiantadas na fé, lhes teriam subtraído alguma coisa para confiá-la separadamente a uns poucos. Mesmo admitindo que tivessem certas conversas entre amigos íntimos, é inacreditável que introduzissem nelas outra regra de fé, diferente e contrária àquela que proclamavam nas igrejas católicas: como se falassem de um Deus na Igreja e de outro em casa, descrevessem uma substância de Cristo publicamente e outra em segredo e anunciassem uma esperança da ressurreição diante de todos e outra diante de poucos. Eles mesmos, em suas epístolas, rogavam que todos dissessem a mesma coisa e que não houvesse divisões nem dissensões na Igreja, pois

3Much less, when churches were advanced in the faith, would they have withdrawn from them anything for the purpose of committing it separately to some few others. Although, even supposing that among intimate friends, so to speak, they did hold certain discussions, yet it is incredible that these could have been such as to bring in some other rule of faith, differing from and contrary to that which they were proclaiming through the Catholic churches,--as if they spoke of one God in the Church, (and) another at home, and described one substance of Christ, publicly, (and) another secretly, and announced one hope of the resurrection before all men, (and) another before the few; although they themselves, in their epistles, besought men that they would all speak one and the same thing, and that there should be no divisions and dissensions in the church, seeing that 256

4todos, Paulo e os demais, pregavam as mesmas coisas. Ademais, lembravam-se destas palavras: ‘Seja o vosso falar sim, sim; não, não; o que passar disso vem do mal’; por isso não deviam tratar o evangelho de maneiras diferentes.

4they, whether Paul or others, preached the same things. Moreover, they remembered the words): "Let your communication be yea, yea; nay, nay; for whatsoever is more than this cometh of evil;" so that they were not to handle the gospel in a diversity of treatment.