The Exiles

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Short clips from an old book we're studying—paired with translation drafts in Yoruba and Igbo. Built to scale as we add more entries.

On the Incarnation of the Word I

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On the Incarnation of the Word I

Creation and the Fall

(1) In our former book* we dealt fully enough with a few of the chief points about the heathen worship of idols, and how those false fears originally arose. We also, by God’s grace, briefly indicated that the Word of the Father is Himself divine, that all things that are owe their being to His will and power, and that it is through Him that the Father gives order to creation, by Him that all things are moved, and through Him that they receive their being. Now, Macarius, true lover of Christ, we must take a step further in the faith of our holy religion, and consider also the Word’s becoming Man and His divine Appearing in our midst. That mystery the Jews traduce, the Greeks deride, but we adore; and your own love and devotion to the Word also will be the greater, because in His Manhood He seems so little worth. For it is a fact that the more unbelievers pour scorn on Him, so much the more does He make His Godhead evident. The things which they, as men, rule out as impossible, He plainly shows to be possible; that which they deride as unfitting, His goodness makes most fit; and things which these wiseacres laugh at as “human” He by His inherent might declares divine. Thus by what seems His utter poverty and weakness on the cross He overturns the pomp and parade of idols, and quietly and hiddenly wins over the mockers and unbelievers to recognize Him as God. Now in dealing with these matters it is necessary first to recall what has already been said. You must understand why it is that the Word of the Father, so great and so high, has been made manifest in bodily form. He has not assumed a body as proper to His own nature, far from it, for as the Word He is without body. He has been manifested in a human body for this reason only, out of the love and goodness of His Father, for the salvation of us men. We will begin, then, with the creation of the world and with God its Maker, for the first fact that you must grasp is this: the renewal of creation has been wrought by the Self-same Word Who made it in the beginning.

There is thus no inconsistency between creation and salvation for the One Father has employed the same Agent for both works, effecting the salvation of the world through the same Word Who made it in

the beginning.

*Against the Heathens: a previous book by the same author.

Translations

YORÙBÁ

Itúmọ̀

(1) Ninu iwe wa ti iṣaju, a ti sọrọ ni kikun nipa diẹ ninu awọn ojuami pataki nipa ijosin awọn ẹsin keferi ti awọn oriṣa, ati bi awọn ẹru eke wọnyẹn ti bẹrẹ ni akọkọ. A tun sọ, nipasẹ aanu Ọlọrun, ni ṣoki pe Ọrọ Baba jẹ Ọlọrun funrarẹ, pe gbogbo ohun ti o wa jẹ gbese aye wọn si ifẹ ati agbara Rẹ, pe nipasẹ Rẹ ni Baba fi aṣẹ lelẹ fun ẹda, nipasẹ Rẹ ni gbogbo ohun ṣe n gbe, ati nipasẹ Rẹ ni wọn gba aye wọn. Bayi, Makarius, olufẹ Kristi nitọtọ, a gbọdọ tẹsiwaju ni igbagbọ ti ẹsin mimọ wa, ki a tun ronu nipa Ọrọ ti o di Eniyan ati Ifihan Rẹ ti o nsọnu laarin wa. Ohun ijinlẹ yẹn ni awọn Ju n sọ buburu rẹ, awọn Giriki n yin imu rẹ, ṣugbọn a n sin in; ati ifẹ ati ifarabalẹ ara rẹ si Ọrọ yoo tobi sii, nitori ninu eda eniyan Rẹ o dabi ẹni o ni iye kekere. Nitori eyi ni otitọ pe bi awọn ti ko gbagbọ ṣe n ṣe ẹlẹya Rẹ, bẹ ni O ṣe n fi Ọlọrunwa Rẹ hàn. Ohun ti wọn, gẹgẹ bi eniyan, kọ gẹgẹ bi ohun ti ko ṣeeṣe, O ṣe hàn gbangba pe o ṣeeṣe; ohun ti wọn n ṣe ẹlẹya gẹgẹ bi ohun ti ko yẹ, rere Rẹ jẹ ki o yẹ julọ; ati awọn ohun ti awọn ọlọgbọn wọnyi n ṣe ẹrin bi "eniyan" O nipasẹ agbara inu Rẹ kede bi Ọlọrun. Nitorinaa nipasẹ ohun ti o dabi osi ati ailera Rẹ patapata lori agbelebu O yi ọrọ ati iṣafihan awọn oriṣa pada, ti O si n fa awọn ẹlẹgàn ati awọn aláìgbàgbọ sẹhin ni idakẹjẹ ati ni ikọkọ lati mọ Ọ gẹgẹ bi Ọlọrun. Bayi ninu rirọ pẹlu awọn ọrọ wọnyi o jẹ dandan ni akọkọ lati ranti ohun ti a ti sọ tẹlẹ. O gbọdọ loye idi ti Ọrọ Baba, ti o tobi ati ti o ga bẹ, fi han ni irisi ara. Ko gba ara bi ohun ti o yẹ si iseda Rẹ, rara, nitori gẹgẹ bi Ọrọ ko ni ara. O ti han ninu ara eniyan fun idi eyi nikan, lati ifẹ ati rere Baba Rẹ, fun igbala wa awọn eniyan. A o bẹrẹ, nitorinaa, pẹlu ẹda aye ati Ọlọrun Olẹda rẹ, nitori otitọ akọkọ ti o gbọdọ mọ ni eyi: isọdọtun ẹda ni a ti ṣe nipasẹ Ọrọ Kanna Ẹni ti o ṣe e ni ibẹrẹ. Nitorinaa ko si aisọkan laarin ẹda ati igbala nitori Baba Kan ti lo Aṣoju kanna fun iṣẹ mejeeji, ti o nṣe igbala aye nipasẹ Ọrọ Kanna ti o ṣe e ni ibẹrẹ.
IGBO

Ntụgharị

(1) N'akwukwo anyị edere tupu nke a, anyị kwuputara nke ọma ihe ole na ole banyere ọfọ nke ndị ọchịchọ na-efe ihe osise, yana otu ihe egwu ndị ụgha ahụ si malite. Anyị kwara, site n'ike Chukwu, nke obere na Okwu nke Nna ya bụ onwe ya Chi, na ihe niile dị ndụ nwetara ndụ ha site na ya n'ikike ya na ike ya, na ọ bụ site n'ya ka Nna na-enye usoro nke ọchịchọ, site n'ya ka ihe niile na-agagharị, na site n'ya ka ha na-enweta ọnọdụ ha. Ugbu a, Makarius, onye hụrụ Kraist n'anya n'ezie, anyị ga-aga n'ihu n'okwukwe nke okpukpe dị nsọ anyị, ma tụlee otú Okwu si aghọ Mmadụ yana ọpụpụ ya dị nsọ n'etiti anyị. Ihe omimi ahụ ndị Juu na-emebi aha ya, ndị Gris na-ọnụ ọchị ya, mana anyị na-asọ ya ọfọ; na ịhụnanya gị na obi ịchọrọ Okwu ga-abawanye, n'ihi na n'ịbụ mmadụ ya, O dị ka nwere obere uru. N'ezie, ihe bụ n'ezie bụ na ka ndị na-aghọpụta ya na-etinye ihe ọchị n'ya, ka O na-egosi ike nke Chi ya nke ọma. Ihe ha, dị ka ndị mmadụ, na-ekwu na ọ bụ ihe enweghị ike, O na-egosi nke ọma na ọ ga-ekwe omume; ihe ha na-ọnụ ọchị dị ka naanị mmadụ, ike ya dị n'ime ya na-ekwu na ọ bụ Chi. Ya mere, site n'ihe dị ka ịda ogbenye ya nke ukwuu na adịghị ike n'elu ọkpụkpụ ahụ, O na-emebi nchara na ngosi nke ihe osise, ma n'ụzọ jụụ na n'ụzọ nzuzo na-azụ ndị na-ọnụ ọchị na ndị na-aghọpụta ka ha ghọta ya dị ka Chi. Ugbu a n'ịtụle ihe ndị a, ọ dị mkpa na-ede uche banyere ihe e kwuola. Ị ga-aghọta ihe mere Okwu nke Nna, dị nnọọ ukwuu na ọ dị elu, ji ahụ mmadụ pụta ìhè. Ejideghị ya ahụ dị ka ihe kwesịrị n'ọdịdị ya, n'ezie, n'ihi na dị ka Okwu O dịghị ahụ. O pụtara ìhè n'ahụ mmadụ n'ihi ihe a naanị, site n'ịhụnanya na ezigbo obi nke Nna ya, maka nzọpụta anyị ndị mmadụ. Anyị ga-amalite, ya mere, site n'ịmụta ụwa na Chukwu Onye Okike ya, n'ihi na ihe mbụ ị ga-aghọta bụ nke a: ọhụụ nke ọchịchọ emepụtara site n'Okwu Onwe ya Onye mere ya na mmalite. Ya mere, enweghị esemokwu n'etiti ọchịchọ na nzọpụta, n'ihi na Nna Otu ahụ ojiri onye ọrụ otu ahụ maka ọrụ abụọ ahụ, na-eme nzọpụta nke ụwa site n'Okwu Onwe ya Onye mere ya na mmalite.

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