hristians have found the truth. They know and believe in God the
creator of heaven and of earth by whom all things consist and from whom
all things come who has no other god beside him and from whom they have
received commandments which they have written on their hearts,
commandments which they observe in faith and in expectation of the world
to come. It is interesting to note how Origen Comm. in Joh. XXXII. 9 has
brought the Christological Confession into approximate harmony with that
of Hermas. First Mand. I. is verbally repeated and then it is said
[Greek: chre de kai pisteuein, hoti kurios Iesous Christos kai pase te
peri autou kata ten theoteta kai ten anthropoteta aletheia dei de kai
eis to hagion pisteuein pneuma, kai hoti autexousioi ontes kolazometha
men eph' hois hamartanomen timometha de eph' hois eu prattomen].]

[Footnote 176: Very instructive here is 2 Clem. ad Corinth. 20, 5
[Greek: to mono theo aorato, patri tes aletheias, to exatosteilanti
hemin ton sotera kai archegon tes aphtharsias, di' ou kai ephanerosen
hemin ten aletheian kai ten epouranion zoen, auto he doxa]. On the Holy
Spirit see previous note.]

[Footnote 177: They were quoted as [Greek: he graphe, ta biblia], or
with the formula [Greek: ho theos (kurios) legei, gegraptai]. Also Law
and Prophets. Law Prophets and Psalms. See the original of the first six
books of the Apostolic Constitutions.]

[Footnote 178: See the collection of passages in Patr. App. Opp. edit.
Gebhardt. 1. 2 p. 133, and the formula, Diogn. 11: [Greek: apostolon
genomenos mathetes ginomai didaskalos ethnon, ta paradothenta axios
hupereton ginomenois aletheias mathetais]. Besides the Old Testament and
the traditions about Jesus (Gospels), the Apocalyptic writings of the
Jews, which were regarded as writings of the Spirit, were also drawn
upon. Moreover, Christian letters and manifestoes proceeding from
Apostles, prophets, or teachers, were read. The Epistles of Paul were
early collected and obtained wide circulation in the first half of the
second century; but they were not Holy Scripture in the specific sense,
and therefore their authority was not unqualified.]

[Footnote 179: Barn. 5. 6, [Greek: hoi prophetai, apo tou kuriou
echontes ten charin, eis auton epropheteusan]. Ignat. ad Magn. 8. 2. cf.
also Clem. Paedag. I. 7. 59: [Greek: ho gar autos houtos paidagogos tote
men "phobethese kurion ton theon elegen, hemin de agapeseis kurion ton
theon sou" tarenesen. dia touto