Lake Apostolic Fathers 2 - Bible Translation

THE SHEPHERD, vis. iii. vi. 5-vii. i
and round ones which do not fit into the building? " The round
She answered and said to me, " How long will
you be stupid and foolish, and ask everything and
understand nothing? These are they which have
faith, but have also the riches of this world. When
persecution comes, because of their wealth and
because of business they deny their Lord." 6. And I
answered and said to her, " Lady, but then when will
they be useful for the building ? " " When," she said,
'' their wealth, which leads their souls astray, shall be
cut offfrom them, then they will be useful to God. For
just as the round stone cannot become square, unless
something be cut off and taken away from it, so too
they who have riches in this world cannot be useful to
the Lord unless their wealth be cut away from them.
7, Understand it first from your own case ; when you
were rich, you were useless, but now you are useful
and helpful for the Life. Be useful to God, for you
yourself are taken from the same stones.^
VII
L ."But as for the other stones which you saw The stones
being cast far from the tower, and falling on to the awa7ft-om
road, and rolling from the road on to the rough *^* ^^^^
ground; these are they who have believed, but
because of their double-mindedness leave their true
road. They think that it is possible to find a better
^ This appears to be the meaning; but the Greek is
obscure and the early translations all paraphrase it so freely
that they cannot be used to suggest any emendation.
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