or on 1st Peter), and on a closer examination we
perceive that they very imperfectly understand Paul, and have no
independent insight into the series of ideas which they reproduce. That
is specially plain in Clement. For in the first place, he everywhere
passes over the resurrection (he mentions it only twice, once as a
guarantee of our own resurrection, along with the Phoenix and other
guarantees, 24. 1, and then as a means whereby the Apostles were
convinced that the kingdom of God will come, 42. 3). In the second
place, he in one passage declares that the [Greek: charis metanoias] was
communicated to the world through the shedding of Christ's blood (7. 4.)
But this transformation of the [Greek: aphesis hamartion] into [Greek:
charis metanoias] plainly shews that Clement had merely taken over from
tradition the special estimate of the death of Christ as procuring
salvation; for it is meaningless to deduce the [Greek: charis metanoias]
from the blood of Christ. Barnabas testifies more plainly that Christ
behoved to offer the vessel of his spirit as a sacrifice for our sins
(4. 3; 5. 1), nay, the chief aim of his letter is to harmonise the
correct understanding of the cross, the blood, and death of Christ in
connection with baptism, the forgiveness of sin, and sanctification
(application of the idea of sacrifice). He also unites the death and
resurrection of Jesus (5. 6: [Greek: autos de hina kataergesei ton
thanaton kai ten ek nekron anastasin deixei, hoti en sarki edei auton
phanerothenai, hupemeinen, hina kai tois patrasin ten epangellian apodoi
kai autos heautoi ton laon ton kainon hetoimazon epideixei, epi tes ges
on. hoti ten anastasin autos poiesas krinei]): but the significance of
the death of Christ is for him at bottom, the fact that it is the
fulfilment of prophecy. But the prophecy is related, above all, to the
significance of the tree, and so Barnabas on one occasion says with
admirable clearness (5. 13); [Greek: autos de ethelesen houto pathein;
edei gar hina epi xulou pathei]. The notion which Barnabas entertains of
the [Greek: sarx] of Christ suggests the supposition that he could have
given up all reference to the death of Christ, if it had not been
transmitted as a fact and predicted in the Old Testament. Justin shews
still less certainty. To him also, as to Ignatius, the cross (the death)
of Christ is a great, nay, the greatest mystery, and he sees all things
possible in it (see Apol. 1. 35, 55). He kno