§13Ceterum quae ratio est, manibus quidem ablutis, spiritu uero sordente orationem obire, quando et ipsis manibus spiritales munditiae sint necessariae, ut a falso, a caede, a saeuitia, a ueneficiis, ab idololatria ceterisque maculis, quae spiritu conceptae manuum opera transiguntur, purae alleuentur? hae sunt uerae munditiae, non quas plerique superstitiose curant, ad omnem orationem, etiam cum a lauacro totius corporis ueniunt, aquam sumentes.
But what reason is there to go to prayer with hands indeed washed, but with a spirit that is dirty, since spiritual cleanness is necessary for the hands themselves, so that they may be lifted up pure from falsehood, murder, cruelty, sorcery, idolatry, and other defilements which, conceived in the spirit, are carried out by the work of the hands? These are the true purifications, not those which most people superstitiously care for, taking water at every prayer, even when they come from a bath of the whole body.
id cum scrupulosius percontarer et rationem requirerem, comperi commemorationem esse Pilatum manus abluisse in domini deditione.
When I inquired into this rather scrupulously and asked for the reason, I found that it is a commemoration of Pilate having washed his hands at the surrender of the Lord.
nos dominum adoramus, non dedimus, immo et aduersari debemus deditoris exemplo nec propterea manus abluere.
We worship the Lord, we did not surrender Him; on the contrary, we ought even to oppose the example of the surrenderer, and not for that reason wash our hands.
nisi ob aliquod conuersationis humanae inquinamentum conscientiae causa lauemus, ceterum satis mundae sunt manus, quas cum toto corpore in Christo semel lauimus.
Unless we wash for the sake of conscience on account of some defilement of human intercourse, otherwise our hands are clean enough, which we have washed once for all in Christ along with our whole body.
§14Omnibus licet membris lauet quotidie Israel, numquam tamen mundus est.
Although Israel washes with all its limbs daily, yet it is never clean.
certe manus eius semper inmundae, sanguine prophetarum et ipsius domini incrustatae in aeternum; et ideo conscientia patrum hereditarii rei nec attollere eas ad dominum audent, ne exclamet aliquis Eseias, ne exhorreat Christus.
Certainly its hands are always unclean, encrusted forever with the blood of the prophets and of the Lord Himself; and therefore, being hereditarily guilty of the conscience of their fathers, they do not dare to lift them up to the Lord, lest some Isaiah should cry out, lest Christ should abhor them.
nos uero non attollimus tantum, sed etiam expandimus, et dominicam passionem modulantes et orantes confitemur Christo.
But we do not only lift them up, but also spread them out, and modulating the Lord's passion, we confess to Christ while praying.
§15Sed quoniam unum aliquod attigimus uacuae obseruationis, non pigebit cetera quoque denotare, quibus merito uanitas exprobranda est, siquidem sine ullius aut dominici aut apostolici praecepti auctoritate fiunt.
But since we have touched upon one particular practice of empty observation, it will not be troublesome to point out the other things also, which deserve to be reproached for vanity, since indeed they are done without the authority of any precept either of the Lord or of the apostles.
huiusmodi enim non religioni, sed superstitioni deputantur, affectata et coacta et curiosi potius quam rationalis officii, certe uel eo coercenda, quod gentilibus adaequent.
For things of this kind are imputed not to religion but to superstition, being affected and forced and of a curious rather than a rational duty, certainly to be restrained at least on this account, that they assimilate to the gentiles.
ut est quorundam expositis paenulis orationem facere; sic enim adeunt ad idola nationes.
As is the practice of some of making prayer with their cloaks taken off; for thus the nations approach their idols.
quod utique si fieri oporteret, apostoli, qui de habitu orandi docent, comprehendissent; nisi si qui putant Paulum paenulam suam in oratione penes Carpum reliquisse.
If indeed this ought to be done, the apostles, who teach about the dress of praying, would have included it; unless some think that Paul left his cloak with Carpus for the purpose of prayer.
deus scilicet non audiat paenulatos, qui tres sanctos in fornace Babylonii regis orantes cum sarabaris et tiaris suis exaudiuit.
God, forsooth, would not hear those wearing cloaks, He who heard the three holy men praying in the furnace of the Babylonian king with their trousers and tiaras on.
§16Item quod adsignata oratione assidendi mos est quibusdam, non perspicio rationem, nisi quam pueri uolunt.
Likewise, regarding the custom of some of sitting down when prayer is assigned, I do not see the reason, except what children want.
quid enim, si Hermas ille, cuius scriptura fere \'pastor\' inscribitur, transacta oratione non super lectum assedisset, uerum aliud quid fecisset, id quoque ad obseruationem uindicaremus? utique non.
For what if that Hermas, whose writing is generally inscribed "The Shepherd," had not sat down upon a couch after completing his prayer, but had done something else, would we claim that also for a practice?
simpliciter enim et nunc positum est, cum adorassem et assedissem super lectum, ad ordinem narrationis, non ad instar disciplinae.
Certainly not. For it was put simply even now, "when I had prayed and sat down upon a couch," for the order of the narrative, not as a model of discipline.
alioquin nusquam erit adorandum, nisi ubi fuerit lectus.
Otherwise, there will be no praying anywhere except where there is a couch.
immo contra scripturam fecerit, si quis in cathedra aut subsellio sederit.
On the contrary, anyone would act against the scripture if he sat on a chair or a bench.
porro cum perinde faciant nationes adoratis sigillaribus suis residendo, uel propterea in nobis reprehendi meretur, quod apud idola celebratur.
Furthermore, since the nations do just the same by sitting down after worshiping their images, for this reason alone it deserves to be reproved in us, because it is celebrated among idols.
eo apponitur et inreuerentiae crimen, etiam ipsis nationibus, si quid saperent, intellegendum.
To this is added also the charge of irreverence, to be understood even by the nations themselves, if they had any sense.
si quidem inreuerens est assidere sub conspectu contraque conspectum eius quem cum maxime reuerearis ac uenereris, quanto magis sub conspectu dei uiui angelo adhuc orationis adstante factum istud inreligiosissimum est? nisi exprobramus deo, quod nos oratio fatigauerit.
For if it is irreverent to sit down in the sight and opposite the sight of one whom you especially revere and venerate, how much more is this act most irreligious in the sight of the living God, while the angel of prayer is still standing by? Unless we are reproaching God that prayer has fatigued us.