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History of Dogma, Volume 1

Volume 1 / Book 1 — CHAPTER II.

Neil Buchanan translation

THE ELEMENT COMMON TO ALL CHRISTIANS AND THE BREACH WITH JUDAISM

I. The Gospel, because it rests on revelation, is the sure manifestation of the supreme God, and its believing acceptance guarantees salvation (σωτερια).

V. Christ has committed to chosen men, the Apostles (or to one Apostle), the proclamation of the message he received from God; consequently, their preaching represents that of Christ himself. But, besides, the Spirit of God rules in Christians, "the Saints." He bestows upon them special gifts, and, above all, continually raises up among them Prophets and spiritual Teachers who receive revelations and communications for the edification of others, and whose injunctions are to be obeyed.

VI. Christian Worship is a service of God in spirit and in truth (a spiritual sacrifice), and therefore has no legal ceremonial and statutory rules. The value of the sacred acts and consecrations which are connected with the cultus, consists in the communication of spiritual blessings. (Didache X., 'ημιν δε εχαρισω, δεσποτα, πνευματικην τροφην και ποτον και ζωην αιωνιον δια του παιδος σου).

VIII. Christians, as such, no longer take into account the distinctions of race, age, rank, nationality and worldly culture, but the Christian community must be conceived as a communion resting on a divine election. Opinions were divided about the ground of that election.

Notes in this chapter

Note 1 · Footnote 152: (return) See, as to this, Celsus in Orig. III. 10 ff. and V. 59 ff.Note 2 · Footnote 153: (return) The marks adduced in the text do not certainly hold good for some comparatively unimportant Gnostic groups, but they Note 3 · Footnote 154: (return) Most of the Gnostic schools know only one God, and put all emphasis on the knowledge of the oneness, supramundanenessNote 4 · Footnote 155: (return) Continence was regarded as the condition laid down by God for the resurrection and eternal life. The sure hope of thiNote 5 · Footnote 156: (return) Even where the judicial attributes were separated from God (Christ) as not suitable, Christ was still comprehended asNote 6 · Footnote 157: (return) Celsus (Orig. c. Celsum, V. 59) after referring to the many Christian parties mutually provoking and fighting with eaNote 7 · Footnote 158: (return) The word "life" comes into consideration in a double sense, viz., as soundness of the soul, and as immortality. NeithNote 8 · Footnote 159: (return) Heinrici, in his commentary on the epistles to the Corinthians, has dealt very clearly with this matter; see especialNote 9 · Footnote 160: (return) Nearly all Gentile Christian groups that we know, are at one in the detachment of Christianity from empiric Judaism; Note 10 · On account of the great differences among those who, in the first century, reckoned themselves in the Church of God, and called themselves bNote 11 · II. The essential content of this manifestation (besides the revelation and the verification of the oneness and spirituality of God),154 is,Note 12 · III. This manifestation is mediated by Jesus Christ, who is the Saviour (σωτηρ) sent by God "in these last days," and who stands with God hiNote 13 · IV. Virtue as continence, embraces as its highest task, renunciation of temporal goods and separation from the common world; for the ChristiNote 14 · VII. Everything that Jesus Christ brought with him, may be summed up in γνωσις και ζωη, or in the knowledge of immortal life.158 To possess Note 15 · IX. As Christianity is the only true religion, and as it is no national religion, but somehow concerns the whole of humanity, or its best pa
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