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On The Incarnation of The Word V
This, then, was the plight of men. God had not only made them out of nothing, but had also graciously bestowed on them His own life by the grace of the Word. Then, turning from eternal things to things corruptible, by counsel of the devil, they had become the cause of their own corruption in death; for, as I said before, though they were by nature subject to corruption, the grace of their union with the Word made them capable of escaping from the natural law, provided that they retained the beauty of innocence with which they were created. That is to say, the presence of the Word with them shielded them even from natural corruption, as also Wisdom says: God created man for incorruption and as an image of His own eternity; but by envy of the devil, death entered into the world.”
When this happened, men began to die, and corruption ran riot among them and held sway over them to an even more than natural degree, because it was the penalty of which God had forewarned them for transgressing the commandment. Indeed, they had in their sinning surpassed all limits; for, having invented wickedness in the beginning and so involved themselves in death and corruption, they had gone on gradually from bad to worse, not stopping at any one kind of evil, but continually, as with insatiable appetite, devising new kinds of sins. Adulteries and thefts were everywhere, murder and rapine filled the earth, law was disregarded in corruption and injustice, all kinds of iniquities were perpetrated by all, both singly and in common. Cities were warring with cities, nations were rising against nations, and the whole earth was rent with factions and battles, while each strove to outdo the other in wickedness. Even crimes contrary to nature were not unknown, but as the martyr-apostle of Christ says: “Their women changed the natural use into that which is against nature; and the men also, leaving the natural use of the woman, flamed out in lust towards each other, perpetrating shameless acts with their own sex, and receiving in their own persons the due recompense of their pervertedness.”
Translations
Nípa Ìsọ̀dí-Ènìyàn Ọ̀rọ̀ náà V
Nítorí náà, èyí ni ipò tí ènìyàn wà. Kì í ṣe pé Ọlọ́run dá wọn láti inú àìsí nìkan, ṣùgbọ́n ó tún fi oore-ọ̀fẹ́ fún wọn ní ìyè Tirẹ̀ nípasẹ̀ oore-ọ̀fẹ́ Ọ̀rọ̀ náà. Ṣùgbọ́n nígbà tí wọ́n yí ojú wọn kúrò nínú àwọn ohun ayérayé sí àwọn ohun tí ń bàjẹ́, nípasẹ̀ ìmọ̀ràn èṣù, wọ́n di olùfa ìbàjẹ́ ara wọn nínú ikú. Nítorí, gẹ́gẹ́ bí mo ti sọ tẹ́lẹ̀, bí ó tilẹ̀ jẹ́ pé ní ìwà ẹ̀dá wọn wọ́n wà lábẹ́ ìbàjẹ́, oore-ọ̀fẹ́ ìṣọ̀kan wọn pẹ̀lú Ọ̀rọ̀ náà jẹ́ kí wọ́n lè bọ́ lọ́wọ́ òfin àdánidá yìí, bí wọ́n bá pa ẹwà àìlẹ́ṣẹ̀ mọ́ tí a fi dá wọn. Ìyẹn ni pé, wíwà Ọ̀rọ̀ náà pẹ̀lú wọn dáàbò bò wọ́n kódà kúrò nínú ìbàjẹ́ àdánidá, gẹ́gẹ́ bí Ọgbọ́n náà ṣe sọ pé: “Ọlọ́run dá ènìyàn fún àìbàjẹ́, ó sì ṣe é ní àwòrán ayérayé Tirẹ̀; ṣùgbọ́n nípasẹ̀ ìlara èṣù ni ikú wọ ayé.”
Nígbà tí èyí ṣẹlẹ̀, ènìyàn bẹ̀rẹ̀ sí í kú, ìbàjẹ́ sì gbilẹ̀ láàrín wọn, ó sì jọba lórí wọn ju bí ó ṣe yẹ nípa àdánidá lọ, nítorí pé ó jẹ́ ìjìyà tí Ọlọ́run ti kìlọ̀ fún wọn nípa rẹ̀ bí wọ́n bá ṣẹ òfin Rẹ̀. Kódà, nínú ẹ̀ṣẹ̀ wọn wọ́n kọjá gbogbo ààlà; nítorí pé lẹ́yìn tí wọ́n ti pilẹ̀ ìwà búburú láti ìbẹ̀rẹ̀ tí wọ́n sì fi ara wọn sínú ikú àti ìbàjẹ́, wọ́n ń lọ díẹ̀díẹ̀ láti búburú sí búburú tó burú jù lọ. Wọn kò dúró sí irú ẹ̀ṣẹ̀ kan ṣoṣo, ṣùgbọ́n bí ẹni tí ebi kò lè tán, wọ́n máa ń dá àwọn irú ẹ̀ṣẹ̀ tuntun sílẹ̀ nígbà gbogbo.
Àgbèrè, olè, ìpànìyàn àti ìkógun kún ilẹ̀. A kò ka òfin sí nítorí ìbàjẹ́ àti àìdájọ́; gbogbo irú ìwà àìṣòdodo ni gbogbo ènìyàn ń hù, yálà lọ́kọ̀ọ̀kan tàbí ní ìṣọ̀kan. Ìlú bá ìlú jagun, orílẹ̀-èdè dìde sí orílẹ̀-èdè, gbogbo ayé sì ya sí ẹgbẹ́gbẹ́ àti ogun, nígbà tí olúkúlùkù ń tiraka láti ju ẹlòmíràn lọ nínú ìwà búburú.
Kódà, àwọn ẹ̀ṣẹ̀ tí ó lòdì sí ìṣe àdánidá kò jẹ́ ohun àjèjì fún wọn. Gẹ́gẹ́ bí àpọ́sítélì Kristi tí ó jẹ́ ajẹ́rìí ṣe sọ pé: “Àwọn obìnrin wọn fi ìlò àdánidá sílẹ̀, wọ́n sì yí i padà sí ohun tí ó lòdì sí àdánidá. Bákan náà, àwọn ọkùnrin náà fi ìlò àdánidá obìnrin sílẹ̀, wọ́n sì ru ìfẹ́kúfẹ̀ẹ́ sí ara wọn, wọ́n ń ṣe ohun ìtìjú pẹ̀lú ẹni tí ó jẹ́ akọ bí ara wọn, wọ́n sì ń gba nínú ara wọn ní ẹ̀san tí ó yẹ fún ìwà ìṣekúṣe wọn.”
Banyere Iwere Ahụ Mmadụ nke Okwu V
Ya bụ, nke a bụ ọnọdụ dị mwute nke mmadụ. Ọ bụghị naanị na Chineke kere ha site n'ihe na-adịghị adị, kama O jiri amara nye ha ndụ nke Ya site n'Amara nke Okwu ahụ. Ma mgbe ha si n'ihe ndị ebighị ebi tụgharịa uche ha gaa n'ihe ndị na-emebi emebi, site n'ndụmọdụ ekwensu, ha ghọrọ ndị kpatara mbibi nke onwe ha n'ọnwụ. N'ihi na, dịka m kwuru na mbụ, ọbụna ma ọdịdị ha na-eme ka ha bụrụ ndị na-erubere mbibi isi, amara nke ịdị n'otu ha na Okwu ahụ mere ka ha nwee ike ịgbanahụ iwu nke ọdịdị ahụ, ma ọ bụrụ na ha edobe ịma mma nke ịdị ọcha e ji kee ha. Nke ahụ pụtara na ọnụnọ nke Okwu ahụ n'etiti ha chebere ha ọbụna pụọ n'aka mbibi nke ọdịdị, dịka Amamihe na-ekwu kwa, sị: “Chineke kere mmadụ ka ọ ghara ịla n'iyi, O mekwara ya n'oyiyi nke ebighị ebi nke Ya; ma site n'ekworo ekwensu ka ọnwụ batara n'ụwa.”
Mgbe nke a mere, mmadụ malitere ịnwụ, mbibi wee gbasaa n'etiti ha ma chịa ha karịa ka ọdịdị nkịtị ga-esi mee ya, n'ihi na ọ bụ ntaramahụhụ Chineke dọrọ ha aka ná ntị banyere ya ma ọ bụrụ na ha emebie iwu Ya. N'ezie, n'ime mmehie ha, ha gafere oke niile. N'ihi na, ebe ha malitere ịmepụta ajọ omume site ná mmalite ma si otú a tinye onwe ha n'ọnwụ na mbibi, ha gara n'ihu nwayọọ nwayọọ site n'ajọ omume gaa n'ajọ omume ka njọ. Ha akwụsịghị n'otu ụdị mmehie, kama dị ka ndị agụụ mmehie na-enweghị afọ ojuju, ha nọgidere na-echepụta ụdị mmehie ọhụrụ.
Ịkwa iko, izu ohi, igbu mmadụ na ịkwakọrọ mmadụ jupụtara n'ala. A naghịzi asọpụrụ iwu n'ihi nrụrụ aka na ajọ ikpe; ụdị ajọ omume niile ka mmadụ niile na-eme, ma n'otu n'otu ma n'ìgwè. Obodo na-alụso obodo ọgụ, mba na-ebili imegide mba, ụwa dum wee kewaa n'ìgwè na agha, ebe onye ọ bụla na-agbalị ịkarị ibe ya n'ajọ omume.
Ọbụna mmehie ndị na-emegide usoro okike abụghị ihe a na-amaghị n'etiti ha. Dị ka onyeozi na onye àmà Kraịst kwuru: “Ụmụ nwanyị ha gbanwere ojiji nkịtị ka ọ bụrụ nke megidere ọdịdị; otu a kwa, ndị ikom hapụrụ ojiji nkịtị nke nwanyị, wee kpọọ ọkụ n'agụụ n'ebe ibe ha nọ, ndị ikom na ndị ikom na-eme ihe ihere, ma na-anata n'ahụ́ ha ụgwọ kwesịrị ekwesị maka nrụrụ ha.”
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