Athanasius - 39th Festal Letter

ATHANASIUS - 39^th FESTAL LETTER

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Greek text from Migne PG, Vol. 26, Col. 1436

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Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ περὶ μὲν τῶν αἱρετικῶν ἐμνήσθημεν ὡς νεκρῶν, περὶ δὲ ἡμῶν ὡς ἐχόντων πρὸς σωτηρίαν τὰς θείας Γραφάς· καὶ φοβοῦμαι μήπως, ὡς ἔγραψε Κορινθίοις Παῦλος, ὀλίγοι τῶν ἀκεραίων ἀπὸ τῆς ἁπλότητος καὶ τῆς ἁγνότητος πλανηθῶσιν ἀπὸ τῆς πανουργίας τῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ λοιπὸν ἐντυγχάνειν ἑτέροις ἄρξονται τοῖς λεγομένοις ἀποκρύφοις, ἀπατώμενοι τῇ ὁμωνυμίᾳ τῶν ἀληθῶν βιβλίων· παρακαλῶ ἀνέχεσθαι, εἰ περὶ ὧν ἐπίστασθε, περὶ τούτων κἀγὼ μνημονεύων γράφω, διά τε τὴν ἀνάγκην καὶ τὸ χρήσιμον τῆς Ἐκκλησίας. Μέλλων δὲ τούτων μνημονεύειν, χρήσομαι πρὸς σύστασιν τῆς ἐμαυτοῦ τόλμης τῷ τύπῳ τοῦ εὐαγγελιστοῦ Λουκᾶ, λέγων καὶ αὐτός· Ἐπειδήπερ τινες ἐπεχείρησαν ἀνατάξασθαι ἑαυτοῖς τὰ λεγόμενα ἀπόκρυφα, καὶ μῖξαι ταῦτα τῇ θεοπνεύστῳ Γραφῇ, περὶ ἧς ἐπληροφορήθημεν, καθὼς παρέδοσαν τοῖς πατράσιν οἱ ἀπ' ἀρχῆς αὐτόπται καὶ ὑπηρέται γενόμενοι τοῦ Λόγου, ἔδοξε κἀμοί, προτραπέντι παρὰ γνησίων ἀδελφῶν, καὶ μαθόντι ἄνωθεν, ἑξῆς ἐκθέσθαι τὰ κανονιζόμενα καὶ παραδοθέντα, πιστευθέντα τε θεῖα εἶναι βιβλία· ἵνα ἕκαστος, εἰ μὲν ἠπατήθη, καταγνῷ τῶν πλανησάντων· ὁ δὲ καθαρὸς διαμείνας χαίρῃ πάλιν ὑπομιμνησκόμενος.
Ἔστι τοίνυν τῆς μὲν Παλαιᾶς διαθήκης βιβλία τῷ ἀριθμῷ τὰ πάντα εἰκοσιδύο· τοσαῦτα γάρ, ὡς ἤκουσα, καὶ τὰ στοιχεῖα τὰ παρ' Ἑβραίοις εἶναι παραδέδοται· τῇ δὲ τάξει καὶ τῷ ὀνόματι ἔστιν ἕκαστον οὕτως· Πρῶτον Γένεσις, εἶτα Ἔξοδος, εἶτα Λευϊτικὸν, καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο Ἀριθμοί, καὶ λοιπόν, τὸ Δευτερονόμιον· ἑξῆς δὲ τούτοις ἐστὶν Ἰησοῦς ὁ τοῦ Ναυῆ, καὶ Κριταί, καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο ἡ Ῥούθ· καὶ πάλιν ἑξῆς Βασιλειῶν τέσσαρα βιβλία· καὶ τούτων τὸ μὲν πρῶτον καὶ δεύτερον εἰς ἓν βιβλίον ἀριθμεῖται· τὸ δὲ τρίτον καὶ τέταρτον ὁμοίως εἰς ἕν· μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα, Παραλειπομένων α′ καὶ β′, ὁμοίως εἰς ἓν βιβλίον ἀριθμούμενα· εἶτα Ἔσδρα α′ καὶ β′, ὁμοίως εἰς ἕν· μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα βίβλος Ψαλμῶν, καὶ ἑξῆς Παροιμίαι· εἶτα Ἐκκλησιαστής, καὶ ᾎσμα ᾀσμάτων· πρὸς τούτοις ἔστι καὶ Ἰώβ, καὶ λοιπόν Προφῆται, οἱ μὲν δώδεκα εἰς ἓν βιβλίον ἀριθμούμενοι· εἶτα Ἡσαΐας, Ἱερεμίας, καὶ σὺν αὐτῷ Βαρούχ, Θρῆνοι, Ἐπιστολή, καὶ μετ' αὐτὸν Ἰεζεκιὴλ καὶ Δανιήλ· ἄχρι τούτων τὰ τῆς Παλαιᾶς Διαθήκης ἵσταται.
Τὰ δὲ τῆς Καινῆς πάλιν οὐκ ὀκνητέον εἰπεῖν· ἔστι γὰρ ταῦτα· Εὐαγγέλια τέσσαρα, κατὰ Ματθαῖον, κατὰ Μάρκον, κατὰ Λουκᾶν, κατὰ Ἰωάννην εἶτα μετὰ ταῦτα Πράξεις ἀποστόλων, καὶ ἐπιστολαὶ Καθολικαὶ καλούμεναι τῶν ἀποστόλων ἑπτά· οὕτως μὲν, Ἰακώβου μὲν α′, Πέτρου δὲ β′, εἶτα Ἰωάννου γ′, καὶ μετὰ ταύτας Ἰούδα α′· πρὸς τούτοις Παύλου ἀποστόλου εἰσὶν ἐπιστολαὶ δεκατέσσαρες, τῇ τάξει γραφόμεναι οὕτως· πρώτη πρὸς Ῥωμαίους, εἶτα πρὸς Κορινθίους δύο· καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα πρὸς Γαλάτας· καὶ ἑξῆς πρὸς Ἐφεσίους· εἶτα πρὸς Φιλιππησίους, καὶ πρὸς Κολοσσαεῖς· καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα πρὸς Θεσσαλονικεῖς δύο· καὶ ἡ πρὸς Ἑβραίους· καὶ εὐθὺς πρὸς μὲν Τιμόθεον δύο· πρὸς δὲ Τίτον μία· καὶ τελευταία ἡ πρὸς Φιλήμονα· καὶ πάλιν Ἰωάννου Ἀποκάλυψις.
Ταῦτα πηγαὶ τοῦ σωτηρίου, ὥστε τὸν διψῶντα τῶν ἐν τούτοις ἐμφορεῖσθαι λογίων· ἐν τούτοις μόνοις τὸ τῆς εὐσεβείας διδασκαλεῖον εὐαγγελίζεται. Μηδεὶς τούτοις ἐπιβαλλέτω, μηδὲ τούτων ἀφαιρείσθω τι. Περὶ δὲ τούτων ὁ Κύριος Σαδδουκαίους μὲν ἐδυσώπει, λέγων· «Πλανᾶσθε μὴ εἰδότες τὰς γραφὰς·» τοῖς δὲ Ἰουδαίοις παρῄνει·«Ἐρευνᾶτε τὰς γραφάς, ὅτι αὐταί εἰσιν αἱ μαρτυροῦσαι περὶ ἐμοῦ.» Ἀλλ' ἕνεκά γε πλείονος ἀκριβείας προστίθημι καὶ τοῦτο γράφων ἀναγκαίως, ὡς ὅτι ἔστι καὶ ἕτερα βιβλία τούτων ἔξωθεν, οὐ κανονιζόμενα μέν. τετυπωμένα δὲ παρὰ τῶν Πατέρων ἀναγινώσκεσθαι τοῖς ἄρτι προσερχομένοις καὶ βουλομένοις κατηχεῖσθαι τὸν τῆς εὐσεβείας λόγον· Σοφία Σολομῶντος, καὶ Σοφία Σιρὰχ, καὶ Ἑσθὴρ, καὶ Ἰουδὶθ, καὶ Τωβίας, καὶ διδαχὴ καλουμένη τῶν Ἀποστόλων, καὶ ὁ Ποιμήν. Καὶ ὅμως, ἀγαπητοί, κἀκείνων κανονιζομένων, καὶ τούτων ἀναγινωσκομένων, οὐδαμοῦ τῶν ἀποκρύφων μνήμη· ἀλλὰ αἱρετικῶν ἐστιν ἐπίνοια, γραφόντων μὲν ὅτε θέλουσιν αὐτά, χαριζομένων δὲ καὶ προστιθέντων αὐτοῖς χρόνους, ἵνα ὡς παλαιὰ προφέροντες, πρόφασιν ἔχωσιν ἀπατᾷν ἐκ τούτου τοὺς ἀκεραίους.