Apostolic Tradition 16.9-11

Apostolic Tradition 16.9-11

One of what have become to be known as Church Order documents, the so-called Apostolic Tradition, is an anonymous aggregation of older sources, compiled and reworked in a relatively coherent text, in Greek. The text is no longer extant in Greek apart from small fragments, but is found in various translations in Latin, Sahidic, Arabic and Ethiopic. There are noticeable traditions from North Africa, Syria and Rome, and contains little to no internal information with regards to the identity or geographical location of the main redactor/compiler. Thus it is difficult to situate the community of the compiler/redactor. It was probably compiled in the mid-third to mid-fourth century. In the subsequent centuries, it was translated and redacted by each new community using the document, adding/removing/changing material, or completely reworking it into a new document, a phenomenon which has become to be known as “living literature.” This makes the establishment of the “original” text a very difficult, if not futile exercise.

The extant versions we have are as follows: a Latin translation [Verona Palimpsest]; Sahidic; Arabic; two Ethiopic, Book 8 of the Apostolic Constitutions, The Canons of Hippolytus and the Testamentum Domini.

Section 16, within a larger section on catechumens [15-21] contains a list of various professions which are incompatible with the Christian faith. This list is not covered by the few small extant Greek fragments, it is in all translations/versions/derivatives of the text, with the exception of Latin, for which there is a large lacuna [chapters 7-21], however it is heavily modified in various editions. The list is held by some [Stewart-Sykes, Loc. 996] to predate the compilation of the text, to around the mid second century, while others [Hermeneia, p. 87] suggest it may be as late as the mid 4^th century that the list becomes recognisable as what we see in the versions extant today.

Within Section 16.9, the profession of soldier is discussed. This is present in all versions/derivatives of the text with the exception of the Latin lacuna. The discussion, in all versions [except that in Apostolic Constitutions 8], takes the form of first looking at the soldier who wishes to become a Christian, and secondly, a Christian/Catechumen who wishes to become a soldier. Two versions of the Apostolic tradition [Sahidic and Ethiopic 2] contain a prohibition of the military oath, [along with potentially the Canons of Hippolytus, which prohibits the taking of “bad word]. This may indicate that the prohibition is “original” to the Apostolic Tradition. In any case, it’s inclusion or removal in various versions throughout the third to fifth centuries is an intriguing facet of the “living literature” of church order documents, and the tradition history of opposition to the military oath by Christian sources. Translations of the relevant versions are shown below.

Apostolic Tradition 16.9 [Sahidic]	Apostolic Tradition 16.9 [Arabic]	Apostolic Tradition [Ethiopic 1]	Apostolic Tradition [Ethiopic 2]	Apostolic Constitutions 8.32 [4th Century]	Canons of Hippolytus, 13-14 [4th Century]	Testamentum Domini 2.2 [4th-5th century]
[Based on Greek Text]	[Based on Sahidic Translation]	[Translation made from a no-longer extant Arabic Translation]	[Based on Greek Text]	[Based on Greek text of Apostolic Traditions]	[Extant only in Arabic, through Sahidic, which was based on a Greek text]	[Based on Greek text. Extant in Syriac which was based on a Greek text. Also extant in Arabic and Ethiopic, through Sahidic, which was based on a Greek text]
Hermeneia, p. 88-90	Hermeneia, p. 88-90	Hermeneia, p. 88-90	Bausi, p. 39	Hermeneia, p. 90	Hermeneia, p. 91	Hermeneia, p. 91
9. A soldier who has authority let him not kill a man. If he is ordered, let him not go to the task nor let him swear. But if he is not willing, let him be cast out.	9. A soldier in the sovereign's army should not kill, or if he is ordered to kill, he should refuse, if he stops, so be it; otherwise he should be   excluded.	9. They are not to accept soldiers of an official, and if he is given an order to kill, he is not to do it, and if he does not stop, he is to be expelled.	9. Un soldato che si trovi in una qualsiasi autorità, non uccida; e anche se gli è stato ordinato, non immoli, non giuri e non si ponga serti sulla testa.	Let a soldier who comes be taught to do no injustice or to extort money, but to be content with his given wages. Let the one who objects be rejected.	[13] Whoever has received the authority to kill, or else a soldier, they are not to kill in any case, even if they receive the order to kill. They are not to pronounce a bad word.	[2.2] If anyone be a soldier or in authority, let him be taught not to oppress or to kill or to rob, or to be angry or to rage and afflict anyone. But let those rations suffice him that are given to him. But if they wish to be baptized in the Lord, let them cease from military service or from the [post of] authority, and if not let them not be received.
10. One who has authority of the sword, or a ruler of a city who wears the purple, either let him cease or be cast out.	10. One who has the power of the sword or the head of a city and wears red, let him stop or be excluded.	10. An official who has a sword or a chief of appointed people and who wears purple is to stop or be expelled.	10. Chi esegue condanne di spada, o il governatore di una città o un porporato, cessi, o altrimenti venga espulso.	[Not present]	[13] Those who have received an honor are not to wear wreaths on their heads. Whosoever is raised to the authority of prefect or the magistracy and does not put on the righteousness of the gospel is to be excluded from the flock and the bishop is not to pray with him.	[Not present]
11. A catechumen or faithful [person] if he wishes to become a soldier, let them be cast out because they despised God	11. A catechumen or a believer, if they want to be soldiers, let them be excluded because they distance themselves from God.	11. A catechumen or believer, if they wish to become a soldier, are to be expelled because they are far from God.	11. Il catecumeno o il cristiano adulto, se desidera essere arruolato, venga espulso, perché ha fatto un torto al Signore.	[Not present]	[14] A Christian must not become a soldier, unless he is compelled by a chief bearing the sword. He is not to burden himself with the sin of blood. But if he has shed blood, he is not to partake of the mysteries, unless he is purified by a punishment, tears, and wailing. He is not to come forward deceitfully but in the fear of God.	[2.2] Let a catechumen or a believer of the people, if he desires to be a soldier, either cease from his intention, or if not let him be rejected. For he has despised God by his thought, and leaving the things of the Spirit, he has perfected himself in the flesh, and has treated the faith with contempt.

References

• Bausi, Alessandro. "La “nuova” versione etiopica della Traditio apostolica: edizione e traduzione preliminare." (2011): 19-69.
• Bradshaw, Paul F., Maxwell E. Johnson, L. Edward Phillips, and Harold W. Attridge. The Apostolic Tradition: A Commentary. Hermeneia. Augsburg Fortress Publishers, 2002.
• Stewart-Sykes, Alistair, ed. On the apostolic tradition. No. 22. RSM Press, 2001. [Kindle Edition]