Ἡ τῶν Ἰνδῶν λεγομένη χώρα πόρρω μὲν διάκειται τῆς Αἰγύπτου, μεγάλη οὖσα καὶ πολυάνθρωπος·
περικλύζεται δὲ θαλάσσαις καὶ ναυσιπόροις πελάγεσι τῷ κατ' Αἴγυπτον μέρει·
ἐκ δὲ τῆς ἠπείρου προσεγγίζει τοῖς ὁρίοις Περσίδος, ἥτις πάλαι μὲν τῷ τῆς εἰδωλομανίας ἐμελαίνετο ζόφῳ, εἰς ἄκρον ἐκβεβαρβαρωμένη καὶ ταῖς ἀθέσμοις ἐκδεδιῃτημένη τῶν πράξεων.
ὅτε δὲ ὁ μονογενὴς τοῦ Θεοῦ Υἱός, ὁ ὢν εἰς τὸν κόλπον τοῦ Πατρός, τὸ ἑαυτοῦ πλάσμα μὴ φέρων ὁρᾶν ἁμαρτίᾳ δουλούμενον, τοῖς οἰκείοις περὶ τοῦτο σπλάγχνοις ἐπικαμφθείς, ὤφθη καθ' ἡμᾶς ἁμαρτίας χωρίς,
καί, τὸν τοῦ Πατρὸς θρόνον μὴ ἀπολιπών, Παρθένον ᾤκησε δι' ἡμᾶς, ἵν' ἡμεῖς κατοικήσωμεν τοὺς οὐρανούς, τοῦ τε παλαιοῦ πτώματος ἀνακληθῶμεν, καὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἀπαλλαγῶμεν, τὴν προτέραν υἱοθεσίαν ἀπολαβόντες,
καί, πᾶσαν μὲν τὴν διὰ σαρκὸς ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν τελέσας οἰκονομίαν, σταυρόν τε καὶ θάνατον καταδεξάμενος καὶ τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις παραδόξως ἑνοποιήσας τὰ ἐπίγεια,
ἀναστὰς δὲ ἐκ νεκρῶν καὶ μετὰ δόξης εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἀναληφθεὶς καὶ ἐν δεξιᾷ τῆς τοῦ Πατρὸς μεγαλωσύνης καθίσας,
τὸ παράκλητον Πνεῦμα τοῖς αὐτόπταις αὐτοῦ καὶ μύσταις, κατὰ τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν, ἐν εἴδει γλωσσῶν πυρίνων ἐξαπέστειλε,
καὶ ἔπεμψεν αὐτοὺς εἰς πάντα τὰ ἔθνη φωτίσαι τοὺς ἐν σκότει τῆς ἀγνοίας καθημένους, καὶ βαπτίζειν αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος,
(8,1) ὡς ἐντεῦθεν τοὺς μὲν αὐτῶν τὰς ἑῴας λήξεις, τοὺς δὲ τὰς ἑσπερίους λαχόντας περιέρχεσθαι, βόρειά τε καὶ νότια διαθέειν κλίματα,
τὸ προστεταγμένον αὐτοῖς πληροῦντας, διάγγελμα τότε καὶ ὁ ἱερώτατος Θωμᾶς, εἷς ὑπάρχων τῆς δωδεκαρίθμου φάλαγγος τῶν μαθητῶν τοῦ Χριστοῦ, πρὸς τὴν τῶν Ἰνδῶν ἐξεπέμπετο, κηρύττων αὐτοῖς τὸ σωτήριον κήρυγμα.
τοῦ Κυρίου δὲ συνεργοῦντος καὶ τὸν λόγον βεβαιοῦντος διὰ τῶν ἐπακολουθούντων σημείων, τὸ μὲν τῆς δεισιδαιμονίας ἀπηλάθη σκότος καί, τῶν εἰδωλικῶν σπονδῶν τε καὶ βδελυγμάτων ἀπαλλαγέντες, τῇ ἀπλανεῖ προσετέθησαν πίστει,
καί, οὕτω ταῖς ἀποστολικαῖς μεταπλασθέντες χερσί, Χριστῷ διὰ τοῦ βαπτίσματος ᾠκειώθησαν,
καί, ταῖς κατὰ μέρος προσθήκαις αὐξανόμενοι, προέκοπτον ἐν τῇ ἀμωμήτῳ πίστει, ἐκκλησίας τε ἀνὰ πάσας ᾠκοδόμουν τὰς χώρας.
(445a,1) CAPUT PRIMUM.---India, quae ingens ac frequentissima est regio, procul ab Aegypto distat,
atque undique 243 ab Aegypti parte mari alluitur,
a continente autem ad Persidis fines accedit. Ea porro atra idololatriae caligine olim obducebatur, atque extrema barbarie scatebat, nefariisque flagitiis addicta erat.
Posteaquam autem unigenitus Dei Filius (Joan. I), qui est in sinu Patris, figmentum suum peccati servitute oppressum indigno animo cernens, misericordia erga ipsum commotus, instar nostri excepto peccato apparuit,
ac Patris throno relicto, nostrae salutis causa (hoc est ut nos in coelis habitaremus, atque a veteri lapsu excitaremur, ac peccato liberati priorem adoptionem reciperemus), in Virginis corpore habitavit,
atque expletis omnibus carnis propter nos assumptae (445b,1) muneribus, crucem ac mortem suscipiens, ac terrenis mirandum in modum cum coelestibus conjunctis,
a morte ad vitam rediens, et cum gloria in coelos ascendens, et in Patris dextra magnifice sedens,
Spiritum paraclitum discipulis, a quibus conspectus fuerat, pro eo ac promiserat, in ignearum linguarum forma misit,
ipsosque ad omnes gentes legavit, ut eos qui in ignorantiae tenebris sedebant (Luc. I), illuminarent, atque in Patris et Filii et Spiritus sancti nomine baptizarent,
adeo ut deinceps illi, partim Orientales sedes, partim Occidentales regiones, quae ipsis obtigerant, circumirent, ac Septentrionalia et Meridionalia climata peragrarent,
ut imperatum munus exsequerentur, tum sanctissimus quoque Thomas, unus ex duodecim Christi apostolis, (445c,1) in Indiam, salutiferae doctrinae illic praedicandae causa missus est.
Domino autem cooperante, ac sermonem per sequentia signa confirmante (Marci ult.), gentilitiae superstitionis tenebrae depulsae sunt, atque illi simulacrorum sacrificiis et cultu liberati, ad rectam fidem se adjunxerunt.
Sicque apostolicis manibus velut reficti, Christo per baptismum conciliati sunt;
ac tacitis incrementis augescentes in fide, ab omni labe aliena proficiebant, ecclesiasque per totam regionem exstruebant.
The country of the Indians, as it is called, is vast and populous, lying far beyond Egypt.
On the side of Egypt it is washed by seas and navigable gulphs,
but on the mainland it marcheth with the borders of Persia, a land formerly darkened with the gloom of idolatry, barbarous to the last degree, and wholly given up to unlawful practices.
But when “the only-begotten Son of God, which is in the bosom of the Father,” being grieved to see his own handiwork in bondage unto sin, was moved with compassion for the same, and shewed himself amongst us without sin,
and, without leaving his Father’s throne, dwelt for a season in the Virgin’s womb for our sakes, that we might dwell in heaven, and be re-claimed from the ancient fall, and freed from sin by receiving again the adoption of sons;
when he had fulfilled every stage of his life in the flesh for our sake, and endured the death of the Cross, and marvellously united earth and heaven;
when he had risen again from the dead, and had been received up into heaven, and was seated at the right hand of the majesty of the Father,
whence, according to his promise, he sent down the Comforter, the Holy Ghost, unto his eyewitnesses and disciples, in the shape of fiery tongues,
and despatched them unto all nations, for to give light to them that sat in the darkness of ignorance, and to baptize them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost,
whereby it fell to the lot of some of the Apostles to travel to the far-off East and to some to journey to the West-ward, while others traversed the regions North and South,
fulfilling their appointed tasks then it was, I say, that one of the company of Christ’s Twelve Apostles, most holy Thomas, was sent out to the land of the Indians, preaching the Gospel of Salvation.
“The Lord working with him and confirming the word with signs following,” the darkness of superstition was banished; and men were delivered from idolatrous sacrifices and abominations, and added to the true Faith,
and being thus transformed by the hands of the Apostle, were made members of Christ’s household by Baptism,
and, waxing ever with fresh increase, made advancement in the blameless Faith and built churches in all their lands.
At lokenne pinsl vars herra Iesu Crist oc liðnum hans haleita dauða
oc eptir hans dyrlega uppstigning.
er hann birtti sik sinum ælskandum astvinum (sannan guð) oc sannan mann. oc með þui at hann þolde dauða firir ollu mannkyni. sva komo oc hans hin blæzaðu boðorð viða um verolddena.
oc þvi kusu marger af hins hælga anda hending fullkomlega heiminum at hafna oc firirlata hegomlega heimsku heimsins. Skildduzt við verolddena allzkostar oc fra frændom oc fe. fra hegomlegom auð oc sælo þessa liðannda lifs. foro sumir i œyðimarkker sumir til reinlifra klaustra. aðrer at predica retta tru ser oc aðrum til hialppar. aðrer (til) ymissrar guðs þionastu sva sem heilagr annde gaf þeim sina vilia með ymsum hattom at skilia.
A þessom dagum er guð lysti heiminn með liose himneskrar dyrðar. kom til Indialanndz frægð oc fagnaðr þessa blæzaðra boðorða.
Oc þo at su þioð se miok fiarre vpphave þessa guðs boðorða oc giava. þa toko þo marger i þvi lanndde við guðs tru oc stnerozt til truar fra vtru.
guð at gofga oc Iesum Crist hans hinn hælga sun oc hinn sela.
(1,1) Da vor Herres Jesu Christi Lidelse var endt og hans hellige Död fuldkommet
og han var opfaren til Himmelen;
hvorved han aabenbarede sig for sine hengivne Venner som sand Gud og sandt Menneske: da, ligesom han led Döden for hele Menneskeslægten, saaledes udbredte sig ogsaa hans velsignede Budord vide i Verden.
Og derfor besluttede Mange efter den hellige Aands Kald, ganske at forsage Verden og forlade dens faafængelige Daarlighed. De fjernede sig aldeles fra Verden, fra Frænder og Gods og fra dette flygtige Liv’s faafængelige Rigdom og Velvære. En Del drog til Örkener, Nogle til strengt Klosterliv, Andre droge at prædike den rette Tro til Frelse for sig og Andre, Andre tjente Gud paa forskjellige Maader, efter som den hellige Aand gav dem sin Vilje tilkjende paa forskjellig Vis.
Cf. previous record
I disse Dage, da Gud oplyste Verden med den himmelske Herligheds Lys, naaede disse velsignede Buds Berömmelse og Glæde til Indien.
Og skjönt det Land er meget fjernt fra disse Guds Budords og Gavers förste Aabenbarelse, antoge dog Mange i det Land Troen paa Gud og omvendte sig fra vantro til Tro,
til at (2,1) ære Gud og Jesus Christns hans hellige og velsignede Son.
Ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ ἤρξατο μοναστήρια συνίστασθαι καὶ τὰ τῶν μοναχῶν ἀθροίζεσθαι πλήθη, καὶ τῆς ἐκείνων ἀρετῆς καὶ ἀγγελομιμήτου διαγωγῆς ἡ φήμη τὰ πέρατα διελάμβανε τῆς οἰκουμένης, καὶ εἰς Ἰνδοὺς ἧκε,
πρὸς τὸν ὅμοιον ζῆλον καὶ τούτους διήγειρεν, ὡς πολλοὺς αὐτῶν, πάντα καταλιπόντας, καταλαβεῖν τὰς ἐρήμους καὶ ἐν σώματι θνητῷ τὴν πολιτείαν ἀνειληφέναι τῶν ἀσωμάτων.
Cum autem etiam in Aegypto monasteria exaedificari, ac monachorum ingentia agmina cumulari coepissent, atque eorum virtutis et vitae rationis, ad angelorum imitationem accedentis, fama orbis terrarum fines pervasisset, atque ad Indos usque pervenisset,
(445d,1) ipsos quoque ad ejusdem vitae studium excitavit, adeo ut complures ipsorum, relictis omnibus rebus, in solitudines concederent, atque in mortali corpore eorum qui corporis expertes sunt vitae rationem susciperent.
Now when monasteries began to be formed in Egypt, and numbers of monks banded themselves together, and when the fame of their virtues and Angelic conversation “was gone out into all the ends of the world” and came to the Indians,
it stirred them up also to the like zeal, insomuch that many of them forsook everything and withdrew to the deserts; and, though but men in mortal bodies, adopted the spiritual life of Angels.
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