1241、至于“希伯”是第二个古教会的第一个创始人，他表示这个教会，情况是这样：如前所述（1238:2节），第一个古教会传播得非常广泛，尤其遍及亚洲世界；但随着时间推移，和各个地方的所有教会一样，它逐渐衰退，颠覆者或革新者既在外在敬拜方面，也在内在敬拜方面掺假，这种情况在各个地方发生。他们的主要过错是，古教会从上古教会口中所获得的一切象征性和代表性的事物（它们都涉及主及其国度），都变成了偶像崇拜；有些民族甚至将其变成巫术。为防止整个教会走向灭亡，主允许某些地方恢复象征性和代表性的敬拜，这事是由希伯完成的。这种敬拜主要在于外在事物。除了祭司职位和属于这些职位的东西外，敬拜的外在特征还有邱坛（直译为“高地”）、小树林、柱像、膏油和其它许多被称为律例的东西。敬拜的内在特征则是从大洪水前的时代，尤其从那些被称为“以诺”的人那里传下来的教义事物；这些人将上古教会感知到的知识汇集起来，并制成教义事物。这些教义事物构成他们的圣言；该教会的敬拜就来自这些内在事物和上述外在事物。这种敬拜由希伯建立，不过有所添加和更改。最重要的是，他们开始把祭祀提到其它仪式之上。祭祀在真正的古教会中是闻所未闻的，只存在于沦为偶像崇拜者的含和迦南的后代当中；这些祭祀在他们中间是允许的，以防止他们将自己的儿女献为祭。由此清楚可知，由希伯建立并在他被称为希伯来民族的后代当中延续的这第二个古教会是何性质。
New Century Edition
Cooper(2008,2013)
[NCE]1241. Concerning Eber as the founder of the second ancient church, and his symbolism as that church, this is the situation: The first ancient church, as noted [1238:2], spread far and wide throughout the world, especially in the Near East. Over time it deteriorated, as all religions everywhere do, and subverters in various places adulterated both its outward and its inward worship. Their main offense was to take all the symbolic and representative lore that the ancient church had received from the mouth of the earliest church — every bit of which focused on the Lord and his kingdom — and make it idolatrous. Some nations even turned it into magic. To prevent the entire church from perishing, the Lord allowed symbolic and representative worship to be restored in some places, and this was done by Eber, whose worship consisted chiefly in external things. The externals of the religion were high places, groves, pillars, and anointings, not to mention priesthoods and the traditions governing them, along with many other rules, which were called statutes.
The deeper aspects of the religion were doctrinal precepts dating back to the time before the Flood, received principally from the people referred to as Enoch. These people gathered together the perceptive knowledge of the earliest church and out of it constructed doctrinal precepts that formed their Word.{*1} The internals and the externals just described formed the worship of this religion. The style of worship was founded by Eber but later enlarged and also changed. In particular, its worshipers started to consider sacrifices more important than other types of ritual. Sacrifice was unknown in the true ancient church. It existed exclusively with certain idolatrous descendants of Ham and Canaan and was tolerated among them to prevent them from sacrificing their own sons and daughters.
These descriptions illustrate the nature of this second ancient church, founded by Eber and maintained among his descendants, who were called the Hebrew nation.
Footnotes:
{*1} For the process of gathering insights and constructing doctrine, see 518-522, which discuss Enoch's genealogy in Genesis 5:22-24. [LHC]
Potts(1905-1910) 1241
1241. As to Eber being the first institutor of the second Ancient Church, by whom this church is signified, the case is this. The first Ancient Church, so widely spread as has been stated, especially through the Asiatic world, in process of time degenerated-as is usual with all churches everywhere-and was adulterated by innovators, as to both its external and its internal worship, and this in various places; and especially by the fact that all things significative and representative which the Ancient Church had from the mouth of the Most Ancient Church-which all bore reference to the Lord and His Kingdom-were turned into things idolatrous, and by some of the nations into things magical. That the whole church might not go to ruin, it was permitted by the Lord that significative and representative worship should be somewhere reestablished, which was done by Eber. This worship consisted chiefly in externals. The externals of worship, in addition to the priestly offices and what pertained to them, were high places, groves, statues, anointings, and many other things called statutes. The internals of worship were doctrinal things handed down from the time before the flood, especially from those who were called "Enoch," who collected the perceptive findings of the Most Ancient Church, and made doctrinal things therefrom. These were their Word; and from these internals and those externals came the worship of this church, a worship set up anew by Eber, but added to, and also changed. Especially did they begin to exalt sacrifices above other rites. In the true Ancient Church sacrifices had been unknown, except among some of the descendants of Ham and Canaan, who were idolaters, and with whom they were permitted to prevent them from sacrificing their sons and daughters. From all this the quality of this second Ancient Church, instituted by Eber and continued among his posterity who were called the Hebrew nation, is manifest.
Elliott(1983-1999) 1241
1241. As regards Eber's being the first founder of the second Ancient Church and meaning that Church, the situation is this: Spread far and wide, as has been stated, especially throughout the Asiatic world, the first Ancient Church degenerated in course of time - as all Churches do everywhere- and was adulterated by innovators as regards external worship as well as internal. And this happened in various places. It degenerated primarily through the conversion into idolatry, and among some nations into magic, of all the meaningful signs and the representatives which the Ancient Church received orally from the Most Ancient Church, all of which signs and representatives had reference to the Lord and His kingdom. To prevent the whole Church from going to ruin the Lord permitted worship made up of meaningful signs and of representatives to be re-introduced in some place, which was done by Eber. It was a worship that consisted chiefly in things that are external. The external features of worship, in addition to priests and the things requiring priests, were high places, groves, pillars, anointings, and many other things that were called statutes. The internal features of worship were matters of doctrine that had come down from the time before the Flood, chiefly from those people called 'Enoch' who gathered together perceptions the Most Ancient Church had possessed and made these into matters of doctrine. These matters of doctrine constituted their Word; and from these internal things and the previously mentioned external things came the worship of this Church, a form of worship established by Eber, but added to and also altered. Above all they began to make sacrifices more important than any other ritual forms. Sacrifices had been unknown in the true Ancient Church, and had existed solely among some of Ham's and Canaan's descendants who were idolaters, where those sacrifices had been permitted to prevent them from sacrificing their own sons and daughters. From these considerations it is clear what this second Ancient Church was like which was established by Eber and perpetuated among his descendants called the Hebrew nation.
Latin(1748-1756) 1241
1241. Quod 'Eberus' fuit primus institutor Ecclesiae Antiquae alterius per quem significatur haec Ecclesia, ita se res habet: prima Antiqua Ecclesia tam late, ut dictum, per orbem cumprimis Asiaticum diffusa, sicut solent omnes Ecclesiae ubivis, temporis successu degenerata et ab innovatoribus adulterata fuit, tam quoad cultum externum quam quoad internum, et hoc variis in locis; cumprimis ex eo quod omnia significativa et repraesentativa quae Ecclesia Antiqua habuit ex ore Antiquissimae Ecclesiae, quae omnia spectabant Dominum et Ipsius regnum, verterentur in idololatrica, et apud aliquas gentes in magica; ne universa Ecclesia rueret, permissum fuit a Domino ut significativus et repraesentativus cultus alicubi restauraretur, quod factum ab 'Ebero,' qui cultus principaliter in externis constabat; externa cultus fuerunt excelsa, luci, statuae, unctiones, praeter sacerdotia et quae sacerdotiorum fuerunt, et plura alia quae vocata sunt statuta; interna cultus fuerunt doctrinalia ab antediluviano tempore, cumprimis ab illis qui 'Hanochus' appellati, qui perceptiva Antiquissimae Ecclesiae collegerunt, et inde doctrinalia fecerant; haec fuerunt illorum Verbum; ex his et illis Ecclesiae hujus cultus fuit qui instauratus ab Ebero, sed auctus, et quoque mutatus; cumprimis prae aliis ritualibus praeferre inceperunt sacrificia, quae in vera Antiqua Ecclesia ignota fuerunt, solum apud quosdam Hami et Canaanis posteros, qui idololatrae, ibi permissa ob causam ne filios et filias suas sacrificarent. Ex his constat qualis haec Ecclesia altera Antiqua fuit quae ab Ebero instituta, et in posteritate ejus quae dicta gens Hebraea, continuata.