Letter 1132: Anger is a fire: useful when controlled, devastating when unleashed.
What manner of sins the Law forgave through sacrifices. The Law provided forgiveness for sins that were considered lesser — either through sacrifices, or through almsgiving, or through purifications — but not for sins that were truly grave. For those beyond pardon, it condemned to death. It commanded that those who committed such acts be utterly destroyed, not because it was unmerciful, but because certain transgressions, if left unpunished, would corrupt the entire community. The sacrificial system was never intended to deal with deliberate, high-handed rebellion against God, but with inadvertent sins, ceremonial impurities, and lesser transgressions committed through weakness rather than malice. This distinction is vital for understanding both the Law and the Gospel. For what the Law could not accomplish — the forgiveness of the deepest sins and the transformation of the heart — Christ accomplished through his own sacrifice, which was offered not for inadvertent failings alone but for the sins of the whole world.
AI-assisted translation — This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek below for scholarly use.
Latin / Greek Original
Ποίων ἁμαρτημάτων ἄφεσιν ἐδίδου ὁ νόμος διὰ θυσιῶν. Τῶν μὲν δοχούντων εἶναι ἁμαρτημάτων, ὁ νόμος ἄφεσιν, ἣ διὰ θυσιῶν, ἣ δι᾽ ἐλεημοσύνης, ἢ διὰ χαθαρ- σίων, παρεῖχε " τῶν δὲ ὄντων οὐχί. Τὰ γὰρ συγγνώ- μης μείζονα, χατεδίχαζε θανάτῳ. Καταλύεσθαι () “γὰρ παντὶ τρόπῳ τοὺς ταῦτα δρῶντας προσέταττεν, οὐχ ἵνα τὰ αὑτὰ δρῶμεν " λαθὼν () δὲ λέθον ἀχον- τίσαι χατὰ τοῦ ἁλόντος " ἀλλ᾽ ἵνα οἱ τῶν ἀσυγγνώ- Μλίιιῃ. ν, . ΓΘ Π δὲ ὑθαι π μ (δγηλ . ΟΙΧΧ. -- ΖΟΘΙΜΟῸ ῬΒΕΘΒΥΤΕΒΟ. ΘΟ καίει μϑοσαίογιε τοπιδδίοπθηι εἰφάεγὶ! ἰφὰ ΡΕΥ δαἰτὶβέϊα. Ἀρρατγοηίίαπι αυϊάριῃ ρδοοδίογ η ΓΘΠ ] ΟΠ πὶ Ἰὸχ Υ6] ῥοῦ βδογίἢεϊα οἱ υἱοί , ναὶ ρ6Γ οἰθθηηο- δΥΏΔΠ), ναὶ ΡῈΓ [ἰ[υδιγΓαῖϊοι! ψμγυευδὶ : νΘΓΟΓΡΌΠΙ δυίθπη που ἰἰδη). ΝΠ) γρηΐὰ ΠΝ 0Γὰ ΙΠΟΓ6 - ἀφιμηαθαῖ. Θημηΐηο Θῃΐπ αυἱ ἰλ[1Ὰ ραγραίγαραπηί, ἀδ πλόαϊο δίᾳῃα αὐοϊογὶ ργαοϊρίευαι : πο. οδδπι [ποἰληηυ5, αυδδὶ οἰλησι Ιὸχ ἸἈρί ἢ) 60ι)- ΥΑΠΙΑ ΓΠΕΟΤΙΟΌΝΕΒ ΕΤ ΝΟΤΕ. () Ργο γενέσθαι ἰάδι) οο4. εογὶθΐι χληθήσε- σθαι. ῬΟΒ5ΙΝ. ι () Τυτὸν τινὰ οἱ ὀρέγειν ἰπβατῦὶι ἰάθη, χαὶ θυμ- ηδίαις. γ6γβ8. ροδὶ , ἰσχύσει ᾿πυϊεϊ ἰῃ ἰσχύει. ῬΕΗ]Ὸ ΡΟ5ὶ ρτὸ εἰρήνην δογῖθῖι εὐφροσύνην. . . ἰ!- ἰὸς χαὶ οἱ φάναι, ἐμ ιοΥδογὶὶ τό, [Ὁ. () Τοὺς δὲ δύο. Ἐς ἀδσοδι λαοὺς, ) ΤῸ τοὺς λαούς. ἔλττ. () (ἱοά. γαι. χαταλύεσθαι ημδιὶ ᾿τ χαταλεύε- σθαι. ΡΟΒ5ΙΝ. () Ρτο λαθὼν ἰεἰδπη 8ογὶ λανθάνων, οἱ ῃΓῸ ἀχον- κἶσαι, ἀχοντίζει. Γ8. ροϑὶ , πταιόντων πιιίδι ἰπ ἁλόντων. ΓΒ. Ρ6Ώ8 . 6ρ. ροϑὶ χαταλιθοῦν αυά - απαπί )ι ἤπθιν οἷς ὀχ] οι θη ο0ι,, τὸν ἐλάτ- πον. πταίσματι φωραθέντλ. . . ΙΒΙΌΟΒΙ ΡΕΠΟΒΙΟΤΑ ιτῷ ἀδργομβαηϑυπ ἴῃ ] υδπιοῦ! ροοοδίο ργοίθοίδβεῖ, Α στων πταισμάτων καθαρεύοντες, τὴν τιμωρίαν χατὰ Βοὰ υἱὐ ΠῚ αὐ ἃ ρδοροδιὶΘ τϑηΐὰ ἰπἀΐφηΐ8 δί4ι60 ἐἀγοηιίδυ5 σηἀϊ οἱ ἰπηπηη88 6δβ8θηϊ, διιρρι οἰ θη φαΐ ροοσάτγυηί, ἰγγοζάγοηι. Εφι οηἷπὶ Δυουγά . πὴσπ αἱ σΡΑΥ , αυϊάθην, σῆμα τ αἼογὰ ἡ Ρδοοδηί, β86ὰ οοου!ἱ ἰαίοη!, παρ! ζοηῖοῦ ἰγδηϑι Γ6 ; ἰδρίαΐνιι8 δυϊθπὴ ΟὈΓυθῖα τῶν πταιόντων ἀποφέροιεν. ᾿Ατοπώτατον γάρ ἔστι χαὶ λίαν δεινότατον, τοὺς μείζονα πολλοὺς πταίοντας μὲν, λανθάνοντας δὲ, παρορᾷν ᾿ χαταλιθοῦν ὃ τὸν ἐπὶ ἐλάττονι μὲν πταίσαντα, φωραθέντα δέ. δυπ ᾳὐὶ ἰηοεῖ φυϊάδιη ἰπ ἰδρθι5 , βαὰ ἀδργθ ἰ!) (οἰ οῖο.
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