AND NOTICE OF THE RECEPTION OF
THE EPISTLE BY JAMES
TRANSLATED OF THE GREEK TO
ENGLISH BY
JOĆO PAULO FERNANDES PONTES
FOREWORD TO THE EPISTLE OF
PETER TO JAMES
PT 1.1 PETER TO JAMES, LORD AND BISHOP OF THE HOLY CONGREGATION, UNDER THE
FATHER OF ALL, THROUGH JESUS ANOINTED, IN PEACE ALWAYS.
PT 1.2 KNOWING YOU, MY BROTHER, THAT YOU ENDEAVOUR ZEALOUSLY FOR WHAT SUITS IN
COMMON TO ALL OF US, I CONSIDER WORTHY AND I ASK THAT YOU DO NOT GIVE TO ANY OF
THE GENTILES THE BOOKS OF MY PREACHINGS, THAT I SENT TO YOU,
NOR TO ANY ONE OF THE SAME NATION, BEFORE A PROOF;
PT 1.3 IF SOMEBODY, HAVING BEEN PROVEN, IS FOUND WORTHY, THEN DELIVER TO HIM,
ACCORDING TO THE MANNER BY WHICH ALSO MOSES DELIVERED TO THE SEVENTY THAT
RECEIVED HIS CHAIR.
PT 1.4 BECAUSE OF THIS ALSO THE FRUIT OF THE PRECAUTION APPEARS UP TO NOW,
BECAUSE IN EVERY PLACE THE ONES OF THE SAME NATION KEEP THE SAME RULE OF
GOVERNMENT AND STATE, AND IN NO WAY THEY CAN THINK IN ANOTHER WAY, BEING GUIDED
BY THE VERY POWERFUL SCRIPTURES.
PT 1.5 BECAUSE, IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE RULE TRANSMITTED TO THEM, THEY ARE
TRIED TO TRANSFORM THE DISCORDANT THINGS OF THE SCRIPTURES, IF IN FACT
SOMEBODY, PERHAPS NOT KNOWING THE TRADITIONS, BECOME NUMB WITH THE VOICES OF
MANY MEANINGS OF THE PROPHETS.
PT 1.6 FOR WHICH REASON THEY DO NOT ENTRUST ANYBODY OF TEACHING, IF HE LEARN
NOT FIRST HOW THE SCRIPTURES MUST BE USED.
PT 1.7 BECAUSE OF THIS THERE ARE AMONG THEM ONLY ONE GOD, ONLY ONE LAW, ONLY
ONE HOPE.
PT 2.1 THEREFORE, IN ORDER THAT THE SAME HAPPENS ALSO AMONG US, GIVE THE BOOKS
OF MY PREACHINGS TO THE SEVENTY OUR SIBLINGS WITH THE SAME MYSTERY OF THE
MANNER,
PT 2.2 IN ORDER THAT THEY ALSO PREPARE WELL THE ONES THAT WANT TO RECEIVE THE
CHARGE OF THE TEACHING;
PT 2.3 BECAUSE IF IT BE NOT SO, OUR WORD OF THE
TRUTH WILL BE DIVIDED IN MANY OPINIONS.
PT 2.4 AND THIS I KNOW, NOT AS BEING A PROPHET, BUT ALREADY SEEING THE
BEGINNING OF THIS EVIL,
PT 2.5 BECAUSE SOME FROM THE GENTILES REJECTED MY LEGAL PREACHING, JOINING TO
AN ILLEGAL AND FOOLISH DOCTRINE OF THE ENEMY MAN.
PT 2.6 AND THESE THINGS BEING I STILL ALIVE, SOME TRIED TO TRANSFORM MY WORDS
WITH SOME VARIED INTERPRETATIONS FOR THE DESTRUCTION OF THE LAW,
PT 2.7 AS IF ALSO I MYSELF INDEED THOUGHT SO, BUT DID NOT PROCLAIM OPENLY. FAR
FROM ME SUCH THING.
PT 2.8 BECAUSE SUCH THING IS TO ACT AGAINST GOD'S LAW SPOKEN BY MOSES AND
TESTIFIED BY OUR LORD CONCERNING ITS ETERNAL PERMANENCE;
PT 2.9 BECAUSE SO HE SAID: "THE SKY AND THE EARTH SHALL PASS; ONE JOT OR
ONE SMALL LINE OF THE LAW SHALL NOT PASS". AND THIS HE SAID: "IN
ORDER THAT EVERYTHING HAPPEN".[1]
PT 2.10 BUT THEM, I DO NOT KNOW HOW, ANNOUNCING MY THOUGHT, THEY TRY TO EXPLAIN
THE WORDS THAT THEY HEARD FROM ME MORE INTELLIGENTLY THAN I, THAT SPOKE THEM,
SAYING TO THOSE THAT ARE TAUGHT BY THEM THAT THIS IS MY THOUGHT, WHAT I DID NOT
EVEN THINK.
PT 2.11 BUT IF, BEING I STILL ALIVE, THEM IN SUCH A
WAY DARE TO LIE, HOW MUCH MORE AFTER ME THE ONES THAT EXIST AFTER ME WILL DARE
TO DO!
PT 3.1 THEREFORE, IN ORDER THAT SUCH A THING DOES NOT HAPPEN, BECAUSE OF THIS
I CONSIDERED APPROPRIATE AND I ASKED YOU NOT TO DELIVER TO ANYBODY THE BOOKS OF
MY PREACHINGS THAT I SENT TO YOU, NEITHER OF THE SAME NATION NOR OF ANOTHER
NATION, BEFORE A PROOF;
PT 3.2 BUT IF SOMEBODY, HAVING BEEN PROVEN, BE FOUND WORTHY, THEN DELIVER TO
HIM, ACCORDING TO THE MANNER OF MOSES, IN WHICH HE DELIVERED TO THE SEVENTY
THAT RECEIVED HIS CHAIR;
PT 3.3 IN ORDER THAT SO THEY KEEP THE BELIEFS, AND IN EVERY PLACE THEY DELIVER
THE RULE OF THE TRUTH, EXPLAINING ALL THE THINGS IN ACCORDANCE WITH OUR
TRADITION,
PT 3.4 AND THEY BE NOT DRAGGED DOWN BY IGNORANCE, BEING DRAWN TO THE MISTAKE
BY THE CONJECTURES ACCORDING TO THE MIND, AND THEY TAKE NOT OTHERS TO THE SAME
HOLE OF THE PERDITION.
PT 3.5 AND THE THINGS THAT SEEM GOOD TO ME, I WELL REPORTED TO YOU; AND THE
THINGS THAT SEEM GOOD TO YOU, MY LORD, CONVENIENTLY EXECUTE. BE STRONG.
PT 4.1 THEN JAMES READ THE EPISTLE AND CONVOKED THE ELDERS AND READ TO THEM
AND SAID:
PT 4.2 OUR PETER NECESSARILY AND CONVENIENTLY WARNED, TO SAFEGUARD THE TRUTH,
THAT THE BOOKS OF HIS PREACHINGS, THAT WERE SENT TO US, WE DELIVER NOT TO
ANYBODY, AS HAPPENED, UNLESS TO SOMEBODY GOOD AND PRUDENT, THAT ALSO CHOSE TO
TEACH, AND CIRCUMCISED, THAT IS FAITHFUL.
EN FRANĒAIS EN ESPAŃOL EM PORTUGUŹS בעיברית