Justin Martyr Part II: Dialogue with Trypho 131-142 (Greek-English)
Posted: Wed Mar 29, 2023 11:46 pm
Justin Martyr, Dialogue With Trypho 131-142.
Τοῦ ἁγίου Ἰουστίνου πρὸς Τρύφωνα Ἰουδαῖον Διάλογος | Dialogue With Trypho |
| CXXXI 1 Ἐρῶ δὲ καὶ τοὺς λόγους, δι' ὧν δηλοῦται μερίσας πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ὁ θεός. εἰσὶ δὲ οὗτοι· Ἐπερώτησον τὸν πατέρα σου, καὶ ἀναγγελεῖ σοι, τοὺς πρεσβυτέρους σου, καὶ ἐροῦσί σοι. ὅτε διεμέριζεν ὁ ὕψιστος ἔθνη, ὡς διέσπειρεν υἱοὺς Ἀδάμ, ἔστησεν ὅρια ἐθνῶν κατὰ ἀριθμοὺς υἱῶν Ἰσραήλ· καὶ ἐγενήθη μερὶς κυρίου λαὸς αὐτοῦ Ἰακώβ, σχοίνισμα κληρονομίας αὐτοῦ Ἰσραήλ. Καὶ εἰπὼν ταῦτα ἐπήνεγκα λέγων ὅτι οἱ ἑβδομήκοντα ἐξηγήσαντο, ὅτι Ἔστησεν ὅρια ἐθνῶν κατὰ ἀριθμὸν ἀγγέλων θεοῦ. ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ καὶ ἐκ τούτου πάλιν οὐδέν μοι ἐλαττοῦται ὁ λόγος, τὴν ὑμετέραν ἐξήγησιν εἶπον. 2 καὶ ὑμεῖς δ' εἰ βούλεσθε τὴν ἀλήθειαν ὁμολογῆσαι, ὅτι πιστότεροι πρὸς τὸν θεόν ἐσμεν, οἵτινες διὰ τοῦ ἐξουθενημένου καὶ ὀνείδους μεστοῦ μυστηρίου τοῦ σταυροῦ κληθέντες ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ, ὧν καὶ τῇ ὁμολογίᾳ καὶ τῇ ὑπακοῇ καὶ τῇ εὐσεβείᾳ κολάσεις μέχρι θανάτου ὑπὸ τῶν δαιμονίων καὶ τῆς στρατιᾶς τοῦ διαβόλου, διὰ τῆς ὑφ' ὑμῶν ἐκείνοις γεγενημένης ὑπηρεσίας, προστετίμηνται, πάνθ' ὑπομένομεν ὑπὲρ τοῦ μηδὲ μέχρι φωνῆς ἀρνεῖσθαι τὸν Χν, δι' οὗ ἐκλήθημεν εἰς σωτηρίαν τὴν προητοιμασμένην παρὰ τοῦ πατρός, 3 ὑμῶν τῶν ἐν βραχίονι ὑψηλῷ καὶ ἐπισκοπῇ μεγάλης δόξης λυτρωθέντων ἀπὸ τῆς Αἰγύπτου, θαλάσσης ὑμῖν τμηθείσης καὶ γενομένης ὁδοῦ ξηρᾶς, ἐν ᾗ τοὺς διώκοντας ὑμᾶς μετὰ δυνάμεως πολλῆς πάνυ καὶ ἐνδόξων ἁρμάτων, ἐπικλύσας αὐτοῖς τὴν δι' ὑμᾶς ὁδοποιηθεῖσαν θάλασσαν, ἀπέκτεινεν· οἷς καὶ στύλος φωτὸς ἔλαμπεν, ἵνα καὶ παρὰ τὸν πάντα ἄλλον λαὸν τὸν ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ ἰδίῳ καὶ ἀνελλιπεῖ καὶ μὴ δύνοντι φωτὶ χρῆσθαι ἔχητε· οἷς ἄρτον εἰς τροφὴν ἴδιον ἀγγέλων οὐρανίων, τὸ μάννα, ἔβρεξεν, ἵνα μηδὲ σιτοποιΐας δεόμενοι ζητήσητε· καὶ τὸ ἐν Μερρᾷ ὕδωρ ἐγλυκάνθη· 4 καὶ σημεῖον τοῦ σταυροῦσθαι μέλλοντος καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ὄφεων τῶν δακόντων ὑμᾶς, ὡς προεῖπον, γεγένηται (πάντα προλαμβάνοντος πρὸ τῶν ἰδίων καιρῶν τὰ μυστήρια χαρίζεσθαι ὑμῖν τοῦ θεοῦ, πρὸς ὃν ἀχάριστοι ἐλέγχεσθε ἀεὶ γεγενημένοι) καὶ διὰ τοῦ τύπου τῆς ἐκτάσεως τῶν χειρῶν Μωυσέως καὶ τοῦ ἐπονομασθέντος Ἰῦ πολεμούντων τὸν Ἀμαλήκ, περὶ οὗ εἶπεν ὁ θεὸς ἀναγραφῆναι τὸ γεγενημένον, φήσας καὶ εἰς τὰς ὑμῶν ἀκοὰς Ἰῦ παραθέσθαι τὸ ὄνομα, εἰπὼν ὅτι οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ μέλλων ἐξαλείφειν ἀπὸ τῆς ὑπὸ τὸν οὐρανὸν τὸ μνημόσυνον τοῦ Ἀμαλήκ. 5 καὶ ὅτι τὸ μνημόσυνον τοῦ Ἀμαλὴκ καὶ μετὰ τὸν τοῦ Ναυῆ υἱὸν μένει, φαίνεται· διὰ δὲ τοῦ Ἰῦ τοῦ σταυρωθέντος, οὗ καὶ τὰ σύμβολα ἐκεῖνα προκηρύγματα ἦν τῶν κατ' αὐτὸν ἁπάντων, ὅτι μέλλει ἐξολοθρευθήσεσθαι τὰ δαιμόνια καὶ δεδιέναι τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ, καὶ πάσας τὰς ἀρχὰς καὶ τὰς βασιλείας ὁμοίως ὑφορᾶσθαι αὐτόν, καὶ ἐκ παντὸς γένους ἀνθρώπων θεοσεβεῖς καὶ εἰρηνικοὺς δείκνυσθαι εἶναι τοὺς εἰς αὐτὸν πιστεύοντας, φανερὸν ποιεῖ, καὶ τὰ προανιστορημένα ὑπ' ἐμοῦ, Τρύφων, σημαίνουσι. 6 καὶ τοσαύτη δὲ ὀρτυγομήτρα ἐδόθη ὑμῖν ἐπιθυμήσασι κρεωφαγίας, ὅση ἀνάριθμος εἰπεῖν· οἷς καὶ ἐκ πέτρας ὕδωρ ἀνέβλυσε, καὶ νεφέλη εἰς σκιὰν ἀπὸ καύματος καὶ φυλακὴν ἀπὸ κρύους εἵπετο, ἄλλου οὐρανοῦ καινοῦ τρόπον καὶ προαγγελίαν ἀπαγγέλλουσα· ὧν καὶ οἱ ἱμάντες τῶν ὑποδημάτων οὐκ ἐρράγησαν, οὐδὲ αὐτὰ τὰ ὑποδήματα ἐπαλαιώθη, οὐδὲ τὰ ἐνδύματα κατετρίβη, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ τῶν νεωτέρων συνηύξανε. CXXXII 1 Καὶ πρὸς τούτοις ἐμοσχοποιήσατε καὶ πρὸς τὰς θυγατέρας τῶν ἀλλογενῶν πορνεῦσαι καὶ εἰδωλολατρῆσαι ἐσπουδάσατε, καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα πάλιν, τῆς γῆς ὑμῖν παραδοθείσης μετὰ δυνάμεως τοσαύτης, ὡς καὶ τὸν ἥλιον θεάσασθαι ὑμᾶς προστάξει τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἐκείνου τοῦ ἐπονομασθέντος τῷ Ἰῦ ὀνόματι σταθέντα ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ καὶ μὴ δύναντα μέχρις ὡρῶν τριάκοντα ἕξ, καὶ τὰς ἄλλας πάσας δυνάμεις τὰς κατὰ καιρὸν γεγενημένας ὑμῖν· ὧν καὶ ἄλλην μίαν καταριθμῆσαι τὰ νῦν εἶναί μοι δοκεῖ· συναίρεται γὰρ πρὸς τὸ καὶ ἐξ αὐτῆς συνιέναι ὑμᾶς τὸν Ἰν, ὃν καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐπέγνωμεν Χν υἱὸν θεοῦ, σταυρωθέντα καὶ ἀναστάντα καὶ ἀνεληλυθότα εἰς τοὺς οὐρανοὺς καὶ πάλιν παραγενησόμενον κριτὴν πάντων ἁπλῶς ἀνθρώπων μέχρις αὐτοῦ Ἀδάμ. 2 ἐπίστασθε οὖν, ἔλεγον, ὅτι, τῆς σκηνῆς τοῦ μαρτυρίου ὑπὸ τῶν περὶ Ἀζωτίους πολεμίων ἁρπαγείσης καὶ πληγῆς αὐτοῖς γεγενημένης φοβερᾶς καὶ ἀνιάτου, ἐβουλεύσαντο ἐφ' ἁμάξης, ὑφ' ᾗ δαμάλεις νεοτόκους ἔζευξαν, ἐπιθεῖναι, εἰς πεῖραν τοῦ γνῶναι εἰ δυνάμει θεοῦ διὰ τὴν σκηνὴν πεπληγμένοι εἰσὶ καὶ βούλεται ὁ θεὸς ἀπενεχθῆναι αὐτὴν ὅθεν ἐλήφθη. 3 καὶ πραξάντων τοῦτο αἱ δαμάλεις, ὑπὸ μηδενὸς ὁδηγούμεναι ἀνθρώπων, οὐκ ἦλθον μὲν εἰς τὸν τόπον ὁπόθεν εἴληπτο ἡ σκηνή, ἀλλ' εἰς χωρίον τινὸς ἀνδρὸς καλουμένον Αὐσῆ, ὁμωνύμου ἐκείνου τοῦ μετονομασθέντος τῷ Ἰῦ ὀνόματι, ὡς προελέλεκτο, ὃς καὶ εἰσήγαγε τὸν λαὸν εἰς τὴν γῆν καὶ κατεκληροδότησεν αὐτοῖς αὐτήν· εἰς ὃ χωρίον ἐλθοῦσαι μεμενήκασι, δεικνυμένου ὑμῖν καὶ διὰ τούτων, ὅτι τῷ τῆς δυνάμεως ὀνόματι ὡδηγήθησαν, ὡς πρότερον ὁ περιλειφθεὶς λαὸς ἀπὸ τῶν ἀπ' Αἰγύπτου ἐξελθόντων διὰ τοῦ λαβόντος τὸ Ἰῦ ὄνομα, Αὐσῆ πρότερον καλουμένου, εἰς τὴν γῆν ὡδηγήθη. CXXXIII 1 Καὶ τούτων καὶ πάντων τῶν τοιούτων παραδόξων καὶ θαυμαστῶν ὑμῖν γενομένων τε καὶ ὁρωμένων κατὰ καιρούς, ἐλέγχεσθε καὶ διὰ τῶν προφητῶν μέχρι τοῦ καὶ τὰ ἑαυτῶν τέκνα τεθυκέναι τοῖς δαιμονίοις καὶ ἐπὶ τούτοις πᾶσι τοιαῦτα τετολμηκέναι εἰς τὸν Χν καὶ ἔτι τολμᾶν, ἐφ' οἷς πᾶσι γένοιτο ὑμῖν, ἔλεος παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τοῦ Χῦ αὐτοῦ λαβοῦσι, σωθῆναι. 2 διὰ γὰρ τοῦ προφήτου Ἠσαίου προεπιστάμενος ὁ θεὸς ταῦτα μέλλειν ὑμᾶς ποιεῖν κατηράσατο οὕτως· Οὐαὶ τῇ ψυχῇ αὐτῶν· βεβούλευνται βουλὴν πονηρὰν καθ' ἑαυτῶν, εἰπόντες· Δήσωμεν τὸν δίκαιον, ὅτι δύσχρηστος ἡμῖν ἐστι. τοίνυν τὰ γεννήματα τῶν ἔργων αὐτῶν φάγονται. οὐαὶ τῷ ἀνόμῳ· πονηρὰ κατὰ τὰ ἔργα τῶν χειρῶν αὐτοῦ συμβήσεται αὐτῷ. λαός μου, οἱ πράκτορες ὑμῶν καλαμῶνται ὑμᾶς καὶ οἱ ἀπαιτοῦντες κυριεύσουσιν ὑμῶν. 3 λαός μου, οἱ μακαρίζοντες ὑμᾶς πλανῶσιν ὑμᾶς καὶ τὴν τρίβον τῶν ὁδῶν ὑμῶν ταράςσουσιν. ἀλλὰ νῦν καταστήσεται εἰς κρίσιν τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ, καὶ αὐτὸς κύριος εἰς κρίσιν ἥξει μετὰ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων τοῦ λαοῦ καὶ τῶν ἀρχόντων αὐτοῦ· ὑμεῖς δὲ τί ἐνεπυρίσατε τὸν ἀμπελῶνά μου, καὶ ἡ ἁρπαγὴ τοῦ πτωχοῦ ἐν τοῖς οἴκοις ὑμῶν; ὑμεῖς τί ἀδικεῖτε τὸν λαόν μου καὶ τὸ πρόσωπον τῶν ταπεινῶν κατῃσχύνατε; 4 καὶ ἐν ἑτέροις πάλιν λόγοις ὁ αὐτὸς προφήτης εἰς τὸ αὐτὸ εἶπεν· Οὐαὶ οἱ ἐπισπώμενοι τὰς ἁμαρτίας αὐτῶν ὡς ἐν σχοινίῳ μακρῷ καὶ ὡς ζυγοῦ ἱμάντι δαμάλεως τὰς ἀνομίας, οἱ λέγοντες· Τὸ τάχος αὐτοῦ ἐγγισάτω, καὶ ἐλθέτω ἡ βουλὴ τοῦ ἁγίου Ἰσραήλ, ἵνα γνῶμεν. Οὐαὶ οἱ λέγοντες τὸ πονηρὸν καλὸν καὶ τὸ καλὸν πονηρόν, οἱ τιθέντες τὸ φῶς σκότος καὶ τὸ σκότος φῶς, οἱ τιθέντες τὸ πικρὸν γλυκὺ καὶ τὸ γλυκὺ πικρόν. Οὐαὶ οἱ συνετοὶ ἐν ἑαυτοῖς καὶ ἐνώπιον αὐτῶν ἐπιστήμονες. 5 Οὐαὶ οἱ ἰσχύοντες ὑμῶν, οἱ τὸν οἶνον πίνοντες, καὶ οἱ δυνάσται, καὶ οἱ κιρνῶντες τὸ σίκερα, οἱ δικαιοῦντες τὸν ἀσεβῆ ἕνεκεν δώρων, καὶ τὸ δίκαιον τοῦ δικαίου αἴροντες. διὰ τοῦτο, ὃν τρόπον καυθήσεται καλάμη ὑπὸ ἄνθρακος πυρὸς καὶ συγκαυθήσεται ὑπὸ φλογὸς καιομένης, ἡ ῥίζα ὡς χνοῦς ἔσται καὶ τὸ ἄνθος αὐτῶν ὡς κονιορτὸς ἀναβήσεται· οὐ γὰρ ἠθέλησαν τὸν νόμον κυρίου Σαβαώθ, ἀλλὰ τὸ λόγιον κυρίου τοῦ ἁγίου Ἰσραὴλ παρώξυναν. καὶ ἐθυμώθη ὀργῇ κύριος Σαβαώθ, καὶ ἐπέβαλε τὰς χεῖρας ἐπ' αὐτοὺς καὶ ἐπάταξεν αὐτοὺς καὶ παρωξύνθη ἐπὶ τὰ ὄρη, καὶ ἐγενήθη τὰ θνησιμαῖα αὐτῶν ἐν μέσῳ ὡς κοπρία ὁδοῦ· καὶ ἐν πᾶσι τούτοις οὐκ ἀπεστράφησαν, ἀλλ' ἔτι ἡ χεὶρ αὐτῶν ὑψηλή. 6 ἔτι γὰρ ἀληθῶς ἡ χεὶρ ὑμῶν πρὸς κακοποιΐαν ὑψηλή, ὅτι καὶ τὸν Χν ἀποκτείναντες οὐδ' οὕτως μετανοεῖτε, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡμᾶς, τοὺς πιστεύσαντας δι' αὐτοῦ τῷ θεῷ καὶ πατρὶ τῶν ὅλων, μισεῖτε καὶ φονεύετε, ὁσάκις ἂν λάβητε ἐξουσίαν, ἀδιαλείπτως δὲ καταρᾶσθε αὐτῷ τε ἐκείνῳ καὶ τοῖς ἀπ' αὐτοῦ, πάντων ἡμῶν εὐχομένων ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν καὶ ὑπὲρ πάντων ἁπλῶς ἀνθρώπων, ὡς ὑπὸ τοῦ Χῦ ἡμῶν καὶ κυρίου ποιεῖν ἐδιδάχθημεν, παραγγείλαντος ἡμῖν εὔχεσθαι καὶ ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐχθρῶν καὶ ἀγαπᾶν τοὺς μισοῦντας καὶ εὐλογεῖν τοὺς καταρωμένους. CXXXIV 1 Εἰ οὖν καὶ ὑμᾶς δυσωπεῖ τά τε τῶν προφητῶν διδάγματα καὶ τὰ ἐκείνου αὐτοῦ, βέλτιόν ἐστιν ὑμᾶς τῷ θεῷ ἕπεσθαι ἢ τοῖς ἀσυνέτοις καὶ τυφλοῖς διδασκάλοις ὑμῶν, οἵτινες καὶ μέχρι νῦν καὶ τέσσαρας καὶ πέντε ἔχειν ὑμᾶς γυναῖκας ἕκαστον συγχωροῦσι, καὶ ἐὰν εὔμορφόν τις ἰδὼν ἐπιθυμήσῃ αὐτῆς, τὰς Ἰακὼβ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων πατριαρχῶν πράξεις ἀνιστοροῦντες καὶ μηδὲν ἀδικεῖν λέγοντες τοὺς τὰ ὅμοια πράττοντας, τάλανες καὶ ἀνόητοι καὶ κατὰ τοῦτο ὄντες. 2 ὡς προέφην γάρ, οἰκονομίαι τινὲς μεγάλων μυστηρίων ἐν ἑκάστῃ τινὶ τοιαύτῃ πράξει ἀπετελοῦντο. ἐν γὰρ τοῖς γάμοις τοῦ Ἰακὼβ τίς οἰκονομία καὶ προκήρυξις ἀπετελεῖτο, ἐρῶ, ὅπως καὶ ἐν τούτοις ἐπιγνῶτε ὅτι οὐδὲν πρὸς τὸ θειωδέστερον, δι' ὃ ἑκάστη πρᾶξις γέγονεν, ἀπεῖδον ὑμῶν ἀεὶ οἱ διδάσκαλοι, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὰ χαμαιπετῆ καὶ τὰ διαφθορᾶς μᾶλλον πάθη. Προσέχετε τοιγαροῦν οἷς λέγω. 3 Τῆς ὑπὸ τοῦ Χῦ μελλούσης ἀπαρτίζεσθαι πράξεως τύποι ἦσαν οἱ γάμοι τοῦ Ἰακώβ. δύο γὰρ ἀδελφὰς κατὰ τὸ αὐτὸ οὐ θεμιτὸν γαμῆσαι τὸν Ἰακώβ· καὶ δουλεύει δὲ τῷ Λάβαν ὑπὲρ τῶν θυγατέρων, καὶ ψευσθεὶς ἐπὶ τῇ νεωτέρᾳ πάλιν ἐδούλευσεν ἑπτὰ ἔτη. ἀλλὰ Λεία μὲν ὁ λαὸς ὑμῶν καὶ ἡ συναγωγή, Ῥαχὴλ δὲ ἡ ἐκκλησία ἡμῶν. καὶ ὑπὲρ τούτων δουλεύει μέχρι νῦν ὁ Χς καὶ τῶν ἐν ἀμφοτέραις δούλων. 4 ἐπεὶ γὰρ τοῖς δυσὶν υἱοῖς τὸ τοῦ τρίτου σπέρμα εἰς δουλείαν ὁ Νῶε ἔδωκε, νῦν πάλιν εἰς ἀποκατάστασιν ἀμφοτέρων τε τῶν ἐλευθέρων τέκνων καὶ τῶν ἐν αὐτοῖς δούλων Χς ἐλήλυθε, τῶν αὐτῶν πάντας καταξιῶν τοὺς φυλάσσοντας τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ, ὃν τρόπον καὶ οἱ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐλευθέρων καὶ οἱ ἀπὸ δούλων γενόμενοι τῷ Ἰακὼβ πάντες υἱοὶ καὶ ὁμότιμοι γεγόνασι· κατὰ δὲ τὴν τάξιν καὶ κατὰ τὴν πρόγνωσιν, ὁποῖος ἕκαστος ἔσται, προλέλεκται. 5 ἐδούλευσεν Ἰακὼβ τῷ Λάβαν ὑπὲρ τῶν ῥαντῶν καὶ πολυμόρφων θρεμμάτων· ἐδούλευσε καὶ τὴν μέχρι σταυροῦ δουλείαν ὁ Χς ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐκ παντὸς γένους ποικίλων καὶ πολυειδῶν ἀνθρώπων, δι' αἵματος καὶ μυστηρίου τοῦ σταυροῦ κτησάμενος αὐτούς· Λείας ἀσθενεῖς ἦσαν οἱ ὀφθαλμοί· καὶ γὰρ ὑμῶν σφόδρα οἱ τῆς ψυχῆς ὀφθαλμοί. ἔκλεψε Ῥαχὴλ τοὺς θεοὺς Λάβαν καὶ κατέκρυψεν αὐτοὺς ἕως τῆς σήμερον ἡμέρας· καὶ ἡμῖν ἀπολώλασιν οἱ πατρικοὶ καὶ ὑλικοὶ θεοί. 6 τὸν χρόνον πάντα ἐμισεῖτο ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ ὁ Ἰακώβ· καὶ ἡμεῖς νῦν καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν μισεῖται ὑφ' ὑμῶν καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπλῶς ἀνθρώπων, ὄντων πάντων τῇ φύσει ἀδελφῶν. Ἰσραὴλ ἐπεκλήθη Ἰακώβ· καὶ Ἰσραὴλ καὶ ὁ Χς ἀποδέδεικται, ὁ ὢν καὶ καλούμενος Ἰς. CXXXV 1 Καὶ ὅταν ἡ γραφὴ λέγῃ· Ἐγὼ κύριος ὁ θεός, ὁ ἅγιος Ἰσραήλ, ὁ καταδείξας Ἰσραὴλ βασιλέα ὑμῶν· οὐχὶ ἀληθῶς τὸν Χν τὸν αἰώνιον βασιλέα ἀκούσεσθε; καὶ Ἰακὼβ γάρ, ὁ τοῦ Ἰσαὰκ υἱός, ὅτι οὐδέποτε βασιλεὺς γέγονεν, ἐπίστασθε· καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἡ γραφή, πάλιν ἐξηγουμένη ἡμῖν τίνα λέγει βασιλέα Ἰακὼβ καὶ Ἰσραήλ, οὕτως ἔφη· 2 Ἰακὼβ ὁ παῖς μου, ἀντιλήψομαι αὐτοῦ· καὶ Ἰσραὴλ ὁ ἐκλεκτός μου, προσδέξεται αὐτὸν ἡ ψυχή μου. δέδωκα τὸ πνεῦμά μου ἐπ' αὐτόν, καὶ κρίσιν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἐξοίσει. οὐ κεκράξεται, οὐδὲ ἀκουσθήσεται ἔξω ἡ φωνὴ αὐτοῦ· κάλαμον τεθραυσμένον οὐ συντρίψει καὶ λίνον τυφόμενον οὐ σβέσει, ἕως οὗ νῖκος ἐξοίσει, κρίσιν ἀναλήψει, καὶ οὐ θραυσθήσεται, ἕως ἂν θῇ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς κρίσιν· καὶ ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ ἐλπιοῦσιν ἔθνη. 3 μήτι οὖν ἐπὶ τὸν Ἰακὼβ τὸν πατριάρχην οἱ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν ἐλπίζουσιν, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐπὶ τὸν Χν, καὶ ὑμεῖς δὲ αὐτοί; ὡς οὖν Ἰσραὴλ τὸν Χν καὶ Ἰακὼβ λέγει, οὕτως καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐκ τῆς κοιλίας τοῦ Χῦ λατομηθέντες Ἰσραηλιτικὸν τὸ ἀληθινόν ἐσμεν γένος. αὐτῷ δὲ μᾶλλον τῷ ῥητῷ προσέχωμεν. 4 Καὶ ἐξάξω, φησί, τὸ ἐξ Ἰακὼβ σπέρμα καὶ ἐξ Ἰούδα· καὶ κληρονομήσει τὸ ὄρος τὸ ἅγιόν μου, καὶ κληρονομήσουσιν οἱ ἐκλεκτοί μου καὶ οἱ δοῦλοί μου, καὶ κατοικήσουσιν ἐκεῖ· καὶ ἔσονται ἐν τῷ δρυμῷ ἐπαύλεις ποιμνίων, καὶ φάραγξ Ἀχὼρ εἰς ἀνάπαυσιν βουκολίων τῷ λαῷ οἳ ἐζήτησάν με. ὑμεῖς δέ, οἱ ἐγκαταλείποντές με καὶ ἐπιλανθανόμενοι τὸ ὄρος τὸ ἅγιόν μου καὶ ἑτοιμάζοντες τοῖς δαιμονίοις τράπεζαν καὶ πληροῦντες τῷ δαίμονι κέρασμα, ἐγὼ παραδώσω ὑμᾶς εἰς μάχαιραν· πάντες σφαγῇ πεσεῖσθε ὅτι ἐκάλεσα ὑμᾶς καὶ οὐχ ὑπηκούσατε, καὶ ἐποιήσατε τὸ πονηρὸν ἐνώπιόν μου, καὶ ἃ οὐκ ἐβουλόμην ἐξελέξασθε. 5 καὶ τὰ μὲν τῆς γραφῆς ταῦτα· συννοεῖτε δὲ καὶ αὐτοὶ ὅτι ἄλλο τί ἐστι τὸ ἐξ Ἰακὼβ σπέρμα νῦν λεγόμενον, οὐχ ὡς οἰηθείη τις ἂν περὶ τοῦ λαοῦ λέγεσθαι. οὐ γὰρ ἐνδέχεται τοῖς ἐξ Ἰακὼβ γεγεννημένοις ἀπολιπεῖν ἐπείσαξιν τοὺς ἐξ Ἰακὼβ σπαρέντας, οὐδὲ ὀνειδίζοντα τῷ λαῷ ὡς μὴ ἀξίῳ τῆς κληρονομίας, πάλιν, ὡς ὑπολαβόμενος, τοῖς αὐτοῖς ὑπισχνεῖσθαι. 6 ἀλλ' ὅνπερ τρόπον ἐκεῖ φησιν ὁ προφήτης· Καὶ νῦν σὺ οἶκος τοῦ Ἰακώβ, δεῦρο καὶ πορευθῶμεν ἐν φωτὶ κυρίου· ἀνῆκε γὰρ τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ, τὸν οἶκον Ἰακώβ, ὅτι ἐπλήσθη ἡ χώρα αὐτῶν, ὡς τὸ ἀπ' ἀρχῆς, μαντειῶν καὶ κληδονισμῶν· οὕτω καὶ ἐνθάδε δεῖ νοεῖν ἡμᾶς δύο σπέρματα Ἰούδα καὶ δύο γένη, ὡς δύο οἴκους Ἰακώβ, τὸν μὲν ἐξ αἵματος καὶ σαρκός, τὸν δὲ ἐκ πίστεως καὶ πνεύματος γεγεννημένον. CXXXVI 1 Ὁρᾶτε γὰρ ὡς πρὸς τὸν λαὸν νῦν λέγει, ἀνωτέρω εἰπών· Ὃν τρόπον εὑρεθήσεται ῥὰξ ἐν βότρυϊ, καὶ ἐροῦσι· Μὴ λυμανῇ αὐτόν, ὅτι εὐλογία ἐν αὐτῷ ἐστιν, οὕτω ποιήσω ἕνεκεν τοῦ δουλεύοντός μοι· τούτου ἕνεκεν οὐ μὴ ἀπολέσω πάντας· καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο ἐπιφέρει· Καὶ ἐξάξω τὸ ἐξ Ἰακὼβ καὶ ἐξ Ἰούδα. δῆλον οὖν, εἰ ἐκείνοις οὕτως ὀργίζεται καὶ ὀλιγοστοὺς καταλείψειν ἀπειλεῖ, ἄλλους τινὰς ἐξάξειν ἐπαγγέλλεται οἳ κατοικήσουσιν ἐν τῷ ὄρει αὐτοῦ. 2 οὗτοι δέ εἰσιν οὓς εἶπε σπερεῖν καὶ γεννήσειν· ὑμεῖς γὰρ οὔτε καλοῦντος αὐτοῦ ἀνέχεσθε οὔτε λαλοῦντος ἀκούετε, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ πονηρὸν ἐποιήσατε ἐνώπιον κυρίου. τὸ δὲ ὑπερβάλλον ὑμῶν τῆς κακίας τὸ καὶ μισεῖν, ὃν ἐφονεύσατε, δίκαιον καὶ τοὺς ἀπ' αὐτοῦ λαβόντας εἶναι ὅπερ εἰσίν, εὐσεβεῖς καὶ δίκαιοι καὶ φιλάνθρωποι. τοιγαροῦν Οὐαὶ τῇ ψυχῇ αὐτῶν λέγει κύριος, διότι βεβούλευνται βουλὴν πονηρὰν καθ' ἑαυτῶν, εἰπόντες· Ἄρωμεν τὸν δίκαιον, ὅτι δύσχρηστος ἡμῖν ἐστιν. 3 οὐ γὰρ καὶ ὑμεῖς τῇ Βάαλ ἐθύετε, ὡς οἱ πατέρες ὑμῶν, οὐδὲ ἐν συσκίοις ἢ μετεώροις τόποις πέμματα ἐποιεῖτε τῇ στρατιᾷ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, ἀλλ' ὅτι οὐκ ἐδέξασθε τὸν Χν αὐτοῦ. ὁ γὰρ τοῦτον ἀγνοῶν ἀγνοεῖ καὶ τὴν βουλὴν τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ ὁ τοῦτον ὑβρίζων καὶ μισῶν καὶ τὸν πέμψαντα δῆλον ὅτι καὶ μισεῖ καὶ ὑβρίζει· καὶ εἰ οὐ πιστεύει τις εἰς αὐτόν, οὐ πιστεύει τοῖς τῶν προφητῶν κηρύγμασι τοῖς αὐτὸν εὐαγγελισαμένοις καὶ κηρύξασιν εἰς πάντας. CXXXVII 1 Μὴ δή, ὦ ἀδελφοί, κακόν τι εἴπητε εἰς ἐκεῖνον τὸν ἐσταυρωμένον, μηδὲ χλευάσητε αὐτοῦ τοὺς μώλωπας, οἷς ἰαθῆναι πᾶσι δυνατόν, ὡς καὶ ἡμεῖς ἰάθημεν. καλὸν γάρ, ἢν πεισθέντες τοῖς λόγοις περιτμηθῆτε τὴν σκληροκαρδίαν, ἣν οὐχὶ δι' ὑμῶν ἐγγινομένην γνώμην ἔχετε, ἐπειδὴ εἰς σημεῖον ἦν δεδομένη, ἀλλ' οὐκ εἰς δικαιοπραξίας ἔργον, ὡς οἱ λόγοι ἀναγκάζουσι. 2 συμφάμενοι οὖν μὴ λοιδορῆτε ἐπὶ τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ, μηδὲ Φαρισαίοις πειθόμενοι διδασκάλοις τὸν βασιλέα τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ἐπισκώψητέ ποτε, ὁποῖα διδάσκουσιν οἱ ἀρχισυνάγωγοι ὑμῶν, μετὰ τὴν προσευχήν. εἰ γὰρ ὁ ἁπτόμενος τῶν μὴ εὐαρέστων τῷ θεῷ ὡς ὁ ἁπτόμενος κόρης τοῦ θεοῦ, πολὺ μᾶλλον ὁ τοῦ ἠγαπημένου καθαπτόμενος. ὅτι δὲ οὗτος αὐτός ἐστι, καὶ ἱκανῶς ἀποδέδεικται. 3 Καὶ σιγώντων αὐτῶν εἶπον· Ἐγώ, ὦ φίλοι, καὶ τὰς γραφὰς λέγω νῦν ὡς ἐξηγήσαντο οἱ ἑβδομήκοντα· εἰπὼν γὰρ αὐτὰς πρότερον ὡς ὑμεῖς αὐτὰς ἔχετε, πεῖραν ὑμῶν ἐποιούμην πῶς διάκεισθε ἤδη τὴν γνώμην. λέγων γὰρ τὴν γραφήν, ἣ λέγει· Οὐαὶ αὐτοῖς, ὅτι βεβούλευνται βουλὴν πονηρὰν καθ' ἑαυτῶν εἰπόντες ὡς ἐξηγήσαντο οἱ ἑβδομήκοντα ἐπήνεγκα· Ἄρωμεν τὸν δίκαιον, ὅτι δύσχρηστος ἡμῖν ἐστιν· ἐμοῦ ἐν ἀρχῇ τῆς ὁμιλίας καὶ εἰπόντος ὅπερ ὑμεῖς εἰρῆσθαι βούλεσθε, εἰπόντες· Δήσωμεν τὸν δίκαιον, ὅτι δύσχρηστος ἡμῖν ἐστιν. 4 ἄλλα δέ τινα ἐπράξατε, καὶ οὐ δοκεῖτέ μοι ἐνηκόως τῶν λόγων ἐπακηκοέναι. ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ καὶ νῦν ἤδη ἡ ἡμέρα πέρας ποιεῖσθαι μέλλει, πρὸς δυσμὰς γὰρ ἤδη ὁ ἥλιός ἐστι, καὶ ἕν τι προσθεὶς τοῖς εἰρημένοις παύσομαι· τοῦτο δ' αὐτὸ καὶ ἐν τοῖς εἰρημένοις μοι ἐρρέθη, ἀλλὰ πάλιν αὐτὸ ἐπεξεργάσασθαι ἂν δίκαιον εἶναί μοι δοκεῖ. CXXXVIII 1 Γινώσκετε οὖν, ὦ ἄνδρες, ἔφην, ὅτι ἐν τῷ Ἠσαίᾳ λέλεκται ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ πρὸς τὴν Ἰερουσαλήμ, ὅτι Ἐπὶ τοῦ κατακλυσμοῦ τοῦ Νῶε ἔσωσά σε. τοῦτο δέ ἐστιν ὃ ἔλεγεν ὁ θεός, ὅτι τὸ μυστήριον τῶν σωζομένων ἀνθρώπων ἐπὶ τοῦ κατακλυςμοῦ γέγονεν. ὁ δίκαιος γὰρ Νῶε μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων ἀνθρώπων ἐπὶ τοῦ κατακλυσμοῦ, τοῦτ' ἔστι τῆς τε γυναικὸς τῆς αὐτοῦ καὶ τῶν τριῶν τέκνων αὐτὼν καὶ τῶν γυναικῶν τῶν υἱῶν αὐτοῦ, οἵτινες ἀριθμῷ ὄντες ὀκτώ, σύμβολον εἶχον τῆς ἀριθμῷ μὲν ὀγδόης ἡμέρας, ἐν ᾗ ἐφάνη ὁ Χς ἡμῶν ἀπὸ νεκρῶν ἀναστάς, δυνάμει δ' ἀεὶ πρώτης ὑπαρχούσης. 2 ὁ γὰρ Χς, πρωτότοκος πάσης κτίσεως ὤν, καὶ ἀρχὴ πάλιν ἄλλου γένους γέγονε, τοῦ ἀναγεννηθέντος ὑπ' αὐτοῦ δι' ὕδατος καὶ πίστεως καὶ ξύλου, τοῦ τὸ μυστήριον τοῦ σταυροῦ ἔχοντος, ὃν τρόπον καὶ ὁ Νῶε ἐν ξύλῳ διεσώθη ἐποχούμενος τοῖς ὕδασι μετὰ τῶν ἰδίων. ὅταν οὖν εἴπῃ ὁ προφήτης· Ἐπὶ Νῶε ἔσωσά σε, προέφην, τῷ ὁμοίως πιστῷ λαῷ πρὸς θεὸν ὄντι καὶ τὰ σύμβολα ταῦτα ἔχοντι λέγει. καὶ γὰρ ῥάβδον ἔχων ὁ Μωυσῆς μετὰ χεῖρα διὰ τῆς θαλάσσης διήγαγεν ὑμῶν τὸν λαόν. 3 ὑμεῖς δὲ ὑπολαμβάνετε ὅτι τῷ γένει ὑμῶν μόνων ἔλεγεν ἢ τῇ γῇ. ὅτι γὰρ πᾶσα ἡ γῆ, ὡς ἡ γραφὴ λέγει, κατεκλύσθη, καὶ ὑψώθη τὸ ὕδωρ ἐπάνω πάντων ὀρέων πήχεις δεκαπέντε, ὁ θεὸς οὐ τῇ γῇ φαίνεται εἰρηκώς, ἀλλὰ τῷ λαῷ τῷ πειθομένῳ αὐτῷ, ᾧ καὶ ἀνάπαυσιν προητοίμασεν ἐν Ἰερουσαλήμ, ὡς προαποδέδεικται διὰ πάντων τῶν ἐπὶ τοῦ κατακλυσμοῦ συμβόλων· εἶπον δέ, δι' ὕδατος καὶ πίστεως καὶ ξύλου οἱ προπαρασκευαζόμενοι καὶ μετανοοῦντες ἐφ' οἷς ἥμαρτον ἐκφεύξονται τὴν μέλλουσαν ἐπέρχεσθαι τοῦ θεοῦ κρίσιν. CXXXIX 1 Καὶ γὰρ ἄλλο μυστήριον ἐπὶ τοῦ Νῶε προεφητεύθη τελούμενον, ὃ οὐκ ἐπίστασθε. ἔστι δὲ τοῦτο. ἐν ταῖς εὐλογίαις, αἷς εὐλόγει ὁ Νῶε τοὺς δύο υἱοὺς αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ καταρᾶται· τὸν γὰρ υἱόν, συνευλογηθέντα ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ, τὸ προφητικὸν πνεῦμα καταρᾶσθαι οὐκ ἔμελλεν, ἀλλ', ἐπεὶ δι' ὅλου τοῦ γένους τοῦ ἐπιγελάσαντος τῇ γυμνώσει υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ ἡ προστίμησις τοῦ ἁμαρτήματος εἶναι ἔμελλεν, ἀπὸ τοῦ υἱοῦ τὴν κατάραν πεποίηται. 2 ἐν δὲ οἷς εἶπε προέλεγεν ὅτι καὶ οἱ ἀπὸ Σὴμ γενησόμενοι διακαθέξουσι τὰς κτήσεις καὶ οἰκήσεις τοῦ Χαναάν, καὶ πάλιν οἱ ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἰάφεθ αὐτάς, ἃς διακατέσχον παρὰ τῶν τοῦ Χαναὰν οἱ ἀπὸ Σὴμ παραλαβόντες, διακαθέξουσιν, ἀφελόμενοι τοὺς ἀπὸ Σὴμ γενομένους, ὃν τρόπον ἀφαιρεθέντων αὐτὰ τῶν υἱῶν Χαναὰν αὐτοὶ διακατέσχον. 3 καὶ ὅτι οὕτω γέγονεν, ἀκούσατε. ὑμεῖς γάρ, οἱ ἀπὸ τοῦ Σὴμ κατάγοντες τὸ γένος, ἐπήλθετε κατὰ τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ βουλὴν τῇ γῇ τῶν υἱῶν Χαναὰν καὶ διακατέσχετε αὐτήν. καὶ ὅτι οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰάφεθ, κατὰ τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ κρίσιν ἐπελθόντες καὶ αὐτοὶ ὑμῖν, ἀφείλοντο ὑμῶν τὴν γῆν καὶ διακατέσχον αὐτήν, φαίνεται. εἴρηται δὲ ταῦτα οὕτως· Ἐξένηψε δὲ Νῶε ἀπὸ τοῦ οἴνου, καὶ ἔγνω ὅσα ἐποίησεν αὐτῷ ὁ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ ὁ νεώτερος. καὶ εἶπεν· Ἐπικατάρατος Χαναὰν παῖς, οἰκέτης ἔσται τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς αὐτοῦ. καὶ εἶπεν· Εὐλογητὸς κύριος, ὁ θεὸς Σήμ, καὶ ἔσται Χαναὰν παῖς αὐτοῦ. πλατύναι κύριος τῷ Ἰάφεθ, καὶ κατοικησάτω ἐν τοῖς οἴκοις Σήμ, καὶ γενηθήτω Χαναὰν παῖς αὐτοῦ. 4 δύο οὖν λαῶν εὐλογηθέντων, τῶν ἀπὸ τοῦ Σὴμ καὶ τοῦ Ἰάφεθ, καὶ πρώτων κατασχεῖν τοὺς οἴκους τοῦ Χαναὰν ἐγνωσμένων τῶν ἀπὸ Σήμ, καὶ πάλιν διαδέξασθαι παρ' αὐτῶν τὰς αὐτὰς κτήσεις τῶν ἀπὸ Ἰάφεθ προειρημένων, καὶ τοῖς δυσὶ λαοῖς τοῦ ἑνὸς λαοῦ τοῦ ἀπὸ Χαναὰν εἰς δουλείαν παραδοθέντος, ὁ Χς κατὰ τὴν τοῦ παντοκράτορος πατρὸς δύναμιν δοθεῖσαν αὐτῷ παρεγένετο, εἰς φιλίαν καὶ εὐλογίαν καὶ μετάνοιαν καὶ συνοικίαν καλῶν, τὴν ἐν τῇ αὐτῇ γῇ τῶν ἁγίων πάντων μέλλουσαν γίνεσθαι, ἧς, ὡς προαποδέδεικται, διακατάσχεσιν ἐπήγγελται. 5 ὅθεν οἱ πάντοθεν ἄνθρωποι, εἴτε δοῦλοι εἴτε ἐλεύθεροι, πιστεύοντες ἐπὶ τὸν Χν καὶ ἐγνωκότες τὴν ἐν τοῖς λόγοις αὐτοῦ καὶ τῶν προφητῶν αὐτοῦ ἀλήθειαν, ἐπίστανται ἅμα αὐτῷ ἐν τῇ γῇ ἐκείνῃ γενησόμενοι καὶ τὰ αἰώνια καὶ ἄφθαρτα κληρονομήσειν. CXL 1 Ὅθεν καὶ Ἰακώβ, ὡς προεῖπον, τύπος ὢν καὶ αὐτὸς τοῦ Χῦ, καὶ τὰς δύο δούλας τῶν δύο ἐλευθέρων αὐτοῦ γυναικῶν ἐγεγαμήκει, καὶ ἐξ αὐτῶν ἐτέκνωσεν υἱούς, εἰς τὸ προμηνυθῆναι ὅτι ὁ Χς προσλήψεται καὶ τοὺς ἐν γένει τοῦ Ἰάφεθ ὄντας ἀπὸ τοῦ Χαναὰν πάντας ὁμοίως τοῖς ἐλευθέροις καὶ τέκνα συγκληρονόμα ἕξει· ἅπερ ἡμεῖς ὄντες, συνιέναι ὑμεῖς οὐ δύνασθε, διὰ τὸ μὴ δύνασθαι ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ ζώσης πηγῆς πιεῖν, ἀλλὰ ἀπὸ τῶν συντετριμμένων λάκκων καὶ ὕδωρ μὴ δυναμένων συνέχειν, ὡς ἡ γραφὴ λέγει. 2 εἰσὶ δὲ λάκκοι συντετριμμένοι καὶ ὕδωρ μὴ συνέχοντες οὓς ὤρυξαν ὑμῖν οἱ διδάσκαλοι ὑμῶν αὐτῶν, ὡς καὶ ἡ γραφὴ διαρρήδην λέγει, διδάσκοντες διδασκαλίας ἐντάλματα ἀνθρώπων. καὶ πρὸς τούτοις ἑαυτοὺς καὶ ὑμᾶς βουκολοῦσιν, ὑπολαμβάνοντες ὅτι πάντως τοῖς ἀπὸ τῆς σπορᾶς τῆς κατὰ σάρκα τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ οὖσι, κἂν ἁμαρτωλοὶ ὦσι καὶ ἄπιστοι καὶ ἀπειθεῖς πρὸς τὸν θεόν, ἡ βασιλεία ἡ αἰώνιος δοθήσεται, ἅπερ ἀπέδειξαν αἱ γραφαὶ οὐκ ὄντα. 3 ἦ γὰρ τοῦτο οὐκ ἂν εἶπεν Ἠσαίας· Καὶ εἰ μὴ κύριος Σαβαὼθ ἐγκατέλιπεν ἡμῖν σπέρμα, ὡς Σόδομα ἂν καὶ Γόμορρα ἐγενήθημεν· καὶ Ἰεζεκιήλ· ὅτι κἂν Νῶε καὶ Ἰακὼβ καὶ Δανιὴλ ἐξαιτήσωνται υἱοὺς ἢ θυγατέρας, οὐ μὴ δοθῇ αὐτοῖς· ἀλλ' οὔτε πατὴρ ὑπὲρ υἱοῦ οὔτε υἱὸς ὑπὲρ πατρός, ἀλλ' ἕκαστος τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ αὐτοῦ ἀπολεῖται καὶ ἕκαστος τῇ ἑαυτοῦ δικαιοπραξίᾳ σωθήσεται· καὶ πάλιν Ἠσαίας· Ὄψονται τὰ κῶλα τῶν παραβεβηκότων· ὁ σκώληξ αὐτῶν οὐ παύσεται, καὶ τὸ πῦρ αὐτῶν οὐ σβεσθήσεται, καὶ ἔσονται εἰς ὅρασιν πάσῃ σαρκί. 4 καὶ ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν κατὰ τὸ θέλημα τοῦ πέμψαντος αὐτὸν πατρὸς καὶ δεσπότου τῶν ὅλων οὐκ ἂν εἶπεν· Ἥξουσιν ἀπὸ δυσμῶν καὶ ἀνατολῶν, καὶ ἀνακλιθήσονται μετὰ Ἀβραὰμ καὶ Ἰσαὰκ καὶ Ἰακὼβ ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν· οἱ δὲ υἱοὶ τῆς βασιλείας ἐκβληθήσονται εἰς τὸ σκότος τὸ ἐξώτερον. ἀλλὰ καὶ ὅτι οὐκ αἰτίᾳ τοῦ θεοῦ οἱ προγινωσκόμενοι καὶ γενησόμενοι ἄδικοι, εἴτε ἄγγελοι εἴτε ἄνθρωποι, γίνονται φαῦλοι, ἀλλὰ τῇ ἑαυτῶν ἕκαστος αἰτίᾳ τοιοῦτοί εἰσιν ὁποῖος ἕκαστος φανήσεται, ἀπέδειξα καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν. CXLI 1 Ἵνα δὲ μὴ πρόφασιν ἔχητε λέγειν ὅτι ἔδει τὸν Χν σταυρωθῆναι, ἢ καὶ ἐν τῷ γένει ὑμῶν εἶναι τοὺς παραβαίνοντας, καὶ οὐκ ἂν ἄλλως ἐδύνατο γενέσθαι, φθάσας διὰ βραχέων εἶπον, ὅτι βουλόμενος τοὺς ἀγγέλους καὶ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἕπεσθαι τῇ βουλῇ αὐτοῦ ὁ θεὸς ἐβουλήθη ποιῆσαι τούτους αὐτεξουσίους πρὸς δικαιοπραξίαν, μετὰ λόγου τοῦ ἐπίστασθαι αὐτοὺς ὑφ' οὗ γεγόνασι, καὶ δι' ὅν εἰσι πρότερον οὐκ ὄντες, καὶ μετὰ νόμου τοῦ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ κρίνεσθαι, ἐὰν παρὰ τὸν ὀρθὸν λόγον πράττωσι· καὶ δι' ἑαυτοὺς ἡμεῖς, οἱ ἄνθρωποι καὶ οἱ ἄγγελοι, ἐλεγχθησόμεθα πονηρευσάμενοι, ἐὰν μὴ φθάσαντες μεταθώμεθα. 2 εἰ δὲ ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ προμηνύει πάντως τινὰς καὶ ἀγγέλους καὶ ἀνθρώπους κολασθήσεσθαι μέλλοντας, διότι προεγίνωσκεν αὐτοὺς ἀμεταβλήτως γενησομένους πονηρούς, προεῖπε ταῦτα, ἀλλ' οὐχ, ὅτι αὐτοὺς ὁ θεὸς τοιούτους ἐποίησεν. ὥστε, ἐὰν μετανοήσωσι, πάντες βουλόμενοι τυχεῖν τοῦ παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐλέους δύνανται, καὶ μακαρίους αὐτοὺς ὁ λόγος προλέγει εἰπών· Μακάριος, ᾧ οὐ μὴ λογίσηται κύριος ἁμαρτίαν· τοῦτο δέ ἐστιν, ὃς μετανοήσας ἐπὶ τοῖς ἁμαρτήμασι τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ λάβῃ ἄφεσιν, ἀλλ' οὐχ, ὡς ὑμεῖς ἀπατᾶτε ἑαυτοὺς καὶ ἄλλοι τινὲς ὑμῖν ὅμοιοι κατὰ τοῦτο, οἳ λέγουσιν ὅτι, κἂν ἁμαρτωλοὶ ὦσι, θεὸν δὲ γινώσκουσιν, οὐ μὴ λογίσηται αὐτοῖς κύριος ἁμαρτίαν. 3 μαρτύριον δὲ τούτου τὴν μίαν τοῦ Δαυεὶδ διὰ τὴν καύχησιν αὐτοῦ γενομένην παράπτωσιν ἔχομεν, ἥτις τότε ἀφείθη, ὅτε οὕτως ἔκλαυσε καὶ ἐθρήνησεν ὡς γέγραπται. εἰ δὲ τῷ τοιούτῳ ἄφεσις πρὶν μετανοῆσαι οὐκ ἐδόθη, ἀλλ' ὅτε τοιαῦτα ἔκλαυσε καὶ ἔπραξεν ὁ μέγας οὗτος βασιλεὺς καὶ Χς καὶ προφήτης, πῶς οἱ ἀκάθαρτοι καὶ πάντα ἀπονενοημένοι, ἐὰν μὴ θρηνήσωσι καὶ κόψωνται καὶ μετανοήσωσιν, ἐλπίδα ἔχειν δύνανται ὅτι οὐ μὴ λογίσηται αὐτοῖς κύριος ἁμαρτίαν; 4 καὶ ἡ μία δὲ αὕτη τῆς παραπτώσεως τοῦ Δαυεὶδ πρὸς τὴν τοῦ Οὐρίου γυναῖκα πρᾶξις, ὦ ἄνδρες, ἔφην, δείκνυσιν ὅτι οὐχ ὡς πορνεύοντες πολλὰς ἔσχον γυναῖκας οἱ πατριάρχαι, ἀλλ' οἰκονομία τις καὶ μυστήρια πάντα δι' αὐτῶν ἀπετελεῖτο· ἐπεὶ εἰ συνεχωρεῖτο, ἣν βούλεταί τις καὶ ὡς βούλεται καὶ ὅσας βούλεται, λαμβάνειν γυναῖκας, ὁποῖον πράττουσιν οἱ ἀπὸ τοῦ γένους ὑμῶν ἄνθρωποι, κατὰ πᾶσαν γῆν, ἔνθα ἂν ἐπιδημήσωσιν ἢ προσπεμφθῶσιν, ἀγόμενοι ὀνόματι γάμου γυναῖκας, πολὺ μᾶλλον ἂν τῷ Δαυεὶδ τοῦτο συνεχωρεῖτο πράξειν. 5 Ταῦτα εἰπών, ὦ φίλτατε Μᾶρκε Πομπήϊε, ἐπαυσάμην. CXLII 1 Ἐπὶ ποσὸν δὲ ὁ Τρύφων ἐπισχών· Ὁρᾷς, ἔφη, ὅτι οὐκ ἀπὸ ἐπιτηδεύσεως γέγονεν ἐν τούτοις ἡμᾶς συμβαλεῖν. καὶ ὅτι ἐξαιρέτως ἥσθην τῇ συνουσίᾳ ὁμολογῶ, καὶ τούτους δὲ οἶμαι ὁμοίως ἐμοὶ διατεθεῖσθαι· πλέον γὰρ εὕρομεν ἢ προσεδοκῶμεν καὶ προσδοκηθῆναί ποτε δυνατὸν ἦν. εἰ δὲ συνεχέστερον ἦν τοῦτο ποιεῖν ἡμᾶς, μάλλον ἂν ὠφελήθημεν, ἐξετάζοντες αὐτοὺς τοὺς λόγους· ἀλλ' ἐπειδή, φησί, πρὸς τῇ ἀναγωγῆ εἶ καὶ καθ' ἡμέραν πλοῦν ποιεῖσθαι προσδοκᾷς, μὴ ὄκνει ὡς φίλων ἡμῶν μεμνῆσθαι ἐὰν ἀπαλλαγῇς. 2 Ἐμοῦ δὲ χάριν, ἔφην, εἰ ἐπέμενον, καθ' ἡμέραν ἐβουλόμην ταὐτὸ γίνεσθαι· ἀναχθήσεσθαι δὲ ἤδη προσδοκῶν, ἐπιτρέποντος τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ συνεργοῦντος, ὑμᾶς προτρέπομαι, ἐνστησαμένους ὑπὲρ τῆς ἑαυτῶν σωτηρίας μέγιστον τοῦτον ἀγῶνα, τῶν διδασκάλων ὑμῶν σπουδάσαι προτιμῆσαι μᾶλλον τὸν τοῦ παντοκράτορος θεοῦ Χν. 3 Μεθ' ἃ ἀπῄεσαν λοιπὸν εὐχόμενοί τέ μοι σωτηρίαν καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ πλοῦ καὶ ἀπὸ πάσης κακίας· ἐγώ τε ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν εὐχόμενος ἔφην· Οὐδὲν ἄλλο μεῖζον ὑμῖν εὔχεσθαι δύναμαι, ὦ ἄνδρες, ἢ ἵνα, ἐπιγνόντες διὰ ταύτης τῆς ὁδοῦ δίδοσθαι παντὶ ἀνθρώπῳ εὐδαιμονεῖν, πάντως καὶ αὐτοὶ ἡμῖν ὅμοια ποιήσητε, τὸ ἡμῶν εἶναι τὸν Χν τοῦ θεοῦ. Τέλος τοῦ πρὸς Τρύφωνα Ἰουδαῖον διαλόγου τοῦ ἁγίου Ἰουστίνου. | CHAPTER CXXXI -- HOW MUCH MORE FAITHFUL TO GOD THE GENTILES ARE WHO ARE CONVERTED TO Christ THAN THE JEWS. "But I shall quote the passage by which it is made known that God divided all the nations. It is as follows: 'Ask thy father, and he will show thee; thine eiders, and they will tell thee; when the Most High divided the nations, as He dispersed the sons of Adam. He set the bounds of the nations according to the numbers of the children of Israel; and the Lord's portion became His people Jacob, and Israel was the lot of His inheritance.'" And having said this, I added: "The Seventy have translated it, 'He set the bounds of the nations according to the number of the angels of God.' But because my argument is again in nowise weakened by this, I have adopted your exposition. And you yourselves, if you will confess the truth, must acknowledge that we, who have been called by God through the despised and shameful mystery of the cross (for the confession of which, and obedience to which, and for our piety, punishments even to death have been inflicted on us by demons, and by the host of the devil, through the aid ministered to them by you), and endure all torments rather than deny Christ even by word, through whom we are called to the salvation prepared beforehand by the Father, are more faithful to God than you, who were redeemed from Egypt with a high hand and a visitation of great glory, when the sea was parted for you, and a passage left dry, in which [God] slew those @ho pursued you with a very great equipment, and splendid chariots, bringing back upon them the sea which had been made a way for your sakes; on whom also a pillar of light shone, in order that you, more than any other nation in the world, might possess a peculiar light, never-failing and never-setting; for whom He rained manna as nourishment, fit for the heavenly angels, in order that you might have no need to prepare your food; and the water at Marah was made sweet; and a sign of Him that was to be crucified was made, both in the matter of the serpents which bit you, as I already mentioned (God anticipating before the proper times these mysteries, in order to confer grace upon you, to whom you are always convicted of being thankless), as well as in the type of the extending of the hands of Moses, and of Oshea being named Jesus (Joshua); when you fought against Amalek: concerning which God enjoined that the incident be recorded, and the name of Jesus laid up in your understandings; saying that this is He who would blot out the memorial of Amalek from under heaven. Now it is clear that the memorial of Amalek remained after the son of Nave (Nun): but He makes it manifest through Jesus, who was crucified, of whom also those symbols were fore-announcements of all that would happen to Him, the demons would be destroyed, and would dread His name, and that all principalities and kingdoms would fear Him; and that they who believe in Him out of all nations would be shown as God-fearing and peaceful men; and the facts already quoted by me, Trypho, indicate this. Again, when you desired flesh, so vast a quantity of quails was given you, that they could not be told; for whom also water gushed from the rock; and a cloud followed you for a shade from heat, and covering from cold, declaring the manner and signification of another and new heaven; the latchets of your shoes did not break, and your shoes waxed not old, and your garments wore not away, but even those of the children grew along with them. CHAPTER CXXXII -- HOW GREAT THE POWER WAS OF THE NAME OF Jesus IN THE OLD TESTAMENT. "Yet after this you made a calf, and were very zealous in committing fornication with the daughters of strangers, and in serving idols. And again, when the land was given up to you with so great a display of power, that you witnessed the sun stand still in the heavens by the order of that man whose name was Jesus (Joshua), and not go down for thirty-six hours, as well as all the other miracles which were wrought for you as time served; and of these it seems good to me now to speak of another, for it conduces to your hereby knowing Jesus, whom we also know to have been Christ the Son of God, who was crucified, and rose again, and ascended to heaven, and will come again to judge all men, even up to Adam himself. You are aware, then," I continued, "that when the ark of the testimony was seized by the enemies of Ashdod, and a terrible and incurable malady had broken out among them, they resolved to place it on a cart to which they yoked cows that had recently calved, for the purpose of ascertaining by trial whether or not they had been plagued by God's power on account of the ark, and if God wished it to be taken back to the place from which it had been carried away. And when they had done this, the cows, led by no man, went not to the place whence the ark had been taken, but to the fields of a certain man whose name was Oshea, the same as his whose name was altered to Jesus (Joshua), as has been previously mentioned, who also led the people into the land and meted it out to them: and when the cows had come into these fields they remained there, showing to you thereby that they were guided by the name of power; just as formerly the people who survived of those that came out of Egypt, were guided into the land by him who had received the name Jesus (Joshua), who before was called Oshea. CHAPTER CXXXIII -- THE HARD-HEARTEDNESS OF THE JEWS, FOR WHOM THE Christians PRAY. "Now, although these and all other such unexpected and marvellous works were wrought amongst and seen by you at different times, yet you are convicted by the prophets of having gone to such a length as offering your own children to demons; and besides all this, of having dared to do such things against Christ; and you still dare to do them: for all which may it be granted to you to obtain mercy and salvation from God and His Christ. For God, knowing before that you would do such things, pronounced this curse upon you by the prophet Isaiah: 'Woe unto their soul! they have devised evil counsel against themselves, saying, Let us bind the righteous man, for he is distasteful to us. Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own doings. Woe to the wicked! evil, according to the works of his hands, shall befall him. O my people, your exactors glean you, and those who extort from you shall rule over you. O my people, they who call you blessed cause you to err, and disorder the way of your paths. But now the Lord shall sist His people to judgment, and He shall enter into judgment with the elders of the people and the princes thereof. But why have you burnt up my vineyard? and why is the spoil of the poor found in your houses? Why do you wrong my people, and put to shame the countenance of the humble?' Again, in other words, the same prophet spake to the same effect: 'Woe unto them that draw their iniquity as with a long cord, and their transgressions as with the harness of an heifer's yoke: who say, Let His speed come near, and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel come, that we may know it. Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil! that put light for darkness, and darkness for light! that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! Woe unto those that are mighty among you, who drink wine, who are men of strength, who mingle strong drink! who justify the wicked for a reward, and take away justice from the righteous! Therefore, as the stubble shall be burnt by the coal of fire, and utterly consumed by the burning flame, their root shall be as wool, and their flower shall go up like dust. For they would not have the law of the Lord of Sabaoth, but despised the word of the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. And the Lord of Sabaoth was very angry, and laid His hands upon them, and smote them; and He was provoked against the mountains, and their carcases were in the midst like dung on the road. And for all this they have not repented, but their hand is still high.' For verily your hand is high to commit evil, because ye slew the Christ, and do not repent of it; but so far from that, ye hate and murder us who have believed through Him in the God and Father of all, as often as ye can; and ye curse Him without ceasing, as well as those who side with Him; while all of us pray for you, and for all men, as our Christ and Lord taught us to do, when He enjoined us to pray even for our enemies, and to love them that hate us, and to bless them that curse us. CHAPTER CXXXIV -- THE MARRIAGES OF JACOB ARE A FIGURE OF THE CHURCH. "If, then, the teaching of the prophets and of Himself moves you, it is better for you to follow God than your imprudent and blind masters, who even till this time permit each man to have four or five wives; and if any one see a beautiful woman and desire to have her, they quote the doings of Jacob [called] Israel, and of the other patriarchs, and maintain that it is not wrong to do such things; for they are miserably ignorant in this matter. For, as I before said, certain dispensations of weighty mysteries were accomplished in each act of this sort. For in the marriages of Jacob I shall mention what dispensation and prophecy were accomplished, in order that you may thereby know that your teachers never looked at the divine motive which prompted each act, but only at the grovelling and corrupting passions. Attend therefore to what I say. The marriages of Jacob were types of that which Christ was about to accomplish. For it was not lawful for Jacob to marry two sisters at once. And he serves Laban for [one of] the daughters; and being deceived in [the obtaining of] the younger, he again served seven years. Now Leah is your people and synagogue; but Rachel is our Church. And for these, and for the servants in both, Christ even now serves. For while Noah gave to the two sons the seed of the third as servants, now on the other hand Christ has come to restore both the free sons and the servants amongst them, conferring the same honour on all of them who keep His commandments; even as the children of the free women and the children of the bond women born to Jacob were all sons, and equal in dignity. And it was foretold what each should be according to rank and according to fore-knowledge. Jacob served Laban for speckled and many-spotted sheep; and Christ served, even to the slavery of the cross, for the various and many-formed races of mankind, acquiring them by the blood and mystery of the cross. Leah was weak-eyed; for the eyes of your souls are excessively weak. Rachel stole the gods of Laban, and has hid them to this day; and we have lost our paternal and material gods. Jacob was hated for all time by his brother; and we now, and our Lord Himself, are hated by you and by all men, though we are brothers by nature. Jacob was called Israel; and Israel has been demonstrated to be the Christ, who is, and is called, Jesus. CHAPTER CXXXV -- Christ IS KING OF ISRAEL, AND Christians ARE THE ISRAELITIC RACE. "And when Scripture says, 'I am the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, who have made known Israel your King,' will you not understand that truly Christ is the everlasting King? For you are aware that Jacob the son of Isaac was never a king. And therefore Scripture again, explaining to us, says what king is meant by Jacob and Israel: 'Jacob is my Servant, I will uphold Him; and Israel is mine Elect, my soul shall receive Him. I have given Him my Spirit; and He shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not cry, and His voice shall not be heard without. The bruised reed He shall not break, and the smoking flax He shall not quench, until He shall bring forth judgment to victory. He shall shine, and shall not be broken, until He set judgment on the earth. And in His name shall the Gentiles trust.' Then is it Jacob the patriarch in whom the Gentiles and yourselves shall trust? or is it not Christ? As, therefore, Christ is the Israel and the Jacob, even so we, who have been quarried out from the bowels of Christ, are the true Israelitic race. But let us attend rather to the very word: 'And I will bring forth,' He says, 'the seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah: and it shall inherit My holy mountain; and Mine Elect and My servants shall possess the inheritance, and shall dwell there; and there shall be folds of flocks in the thicket, and the valley of Achor shall be a resting-place of cattle for the people who have sought Me. But as for you, who forsake Me, and forget My holy mountain, and prepare a table for demons, and fill out drink for the demon, I shall give you to the sword. You shall all fall with a slaughter; for I called you, and you hearkened not, and did evil before me, and did choose that wherein I delighted not.' Such are the words of Scripture; understand, therefore, that the seed of Jacob now referred to is something else, and not, as may be supposed, spoken of your people. For it is not possible for the seed of Jacob to leave an entrance for the descendants of Jacob, or for [God] to have accepted the very same persons whom He had reproached with unfitness for the inheritance, and promise it to them again; but as there the prophet says, 'And now, O house of Jacob, come and let us walk in the light of the Lord; for He has sent away His people, the house of Jacob, because their land was full, as at the first, of soothsayers and divinations;' even so it is necessary for us here to observe that there are two seeds of Judah, and two races, as there are two houses of Jacob: the one begotten by blood and flesh, the other by faith and the Spirit. CHAPTER CXXXVI -- THE JEWS, IN REJECTING Christ, REJECTED GOD WHO SENT HIM. "For you see how He now addresses the people, saying a little before: 'As the gape shah be found in the cluster, and they will say, Destroy it not, for a blessing is in it; so will I do for My servant's sake: for His sake I will not destroy them all.' And thereafter He adds: 'And I shall bring forth the seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah.' It is plain then that if He thus be angry with them, and threaten to leave very few of them, He promises to bring forth certain others, who shall dwell in His mountain. But these are the persons whom He said He would sow and beget. For you neither suffer Him when He calls you, nor hear Him when He speaks to you, but have done evil in the presence of the Lord. But the highest pitch of your wickedness lies in this, that you hate the Righteous One, and slew Him; and so treat those who have received from Him all that they are and have, and who are pious, righteous, and humane. Therefore 'woe unto their soul,' says' the Lord, 'for they have devised an evil counsel against themselves, saying, Let us take away the righteous, for he is distasteful to us.' For indeed you are not in the habit of sacrificing to Baal, as were your fathers, or of placing cakes in groves and on high places for the host of heaven: but you have not accepted God's Christ. For he who knows not Him, knows not the will of God; and he who insults and hates Him, insults and hates Him that sent Him. And whoever believes not in Him, believes not the declarations of the prophets, who preached and proclaimed Him to all. CHAPTER CXXXVII -- HE EXHORTS THE JEWS TO BE CONVERTED. "Say no evil thing, my brothers, against Him that was crucified, and treat not scornfully the stripes wherewith all may be healed, even as we are healed. For it will be well if, persuaded by the Scriptures, you are circumcised from hard-heartedness: not that circumcision which you have from the tenets that are put into you; for that was given for a sign, and not for a work of righteousness, as the Scriptures compel you [to admit]. Assent, therefore, and pour no ridicule on the Son of God; obey not the Pharisaic teachers, and scoff not at the King of Israel, as the rulers of your synagogues teach you to do after your prayers: for if he that touches those who are not pleasing to God, is as one that touches the apple of God's eye, how much more so is he that touches His beloved! And that this is He, has been sufficiently demonstrated." And as they kept silence, I continued: "My friends, I now refer to the Scriptures as the Seventy have interpreted them; for when I quoted them formerly as you possess them, I made proof of you [to ascertain] how you were disposed. For, mentioning the Scripture which says, 'Woe unto them! for they have devised evil counsel against themselves, saying (as the Seventy have translated, I continued): 'Let us take away the righteous, for he is distasteful to us;' whereas at the commencement of the discussion I added what your version has: 'Let us bind the righteous, for he is distasteful to us.' But you had been busy about some other matter, and seem to have listened to the words without attending to them. But now, since the day is drawing to a close, for the sun is about to set, I shall add one remark to what I have said, and conclude. I have indeed made the very same remark already, but I think it would be right to bestow some consideration on it again. CHAPTER CXXXVIII -- NOAH IS A FIGURE OF Christ, WHO HAS REGENERATED US BY WATER, AND FAITH, AND WOOD: [i.e., the cross.] "You know, then, sirs," I said, "that God has said in Isaiah to Jerusalem: 'I saved thee in the deluge of Noah.' By this which God said was meant that the mystery of saved men appeared in the deluge. For righteous Noah, along with the other mortals at the deluge, i.e., with his own wife, his three sons and their wives, being eight in number, were a symbol of the eighth day, wherein Christ appeared when He rose from the dead, for ever the first in power. For Christ, being the first-born of every creature, became again the chief of another race regenerated by Himself through water, and faith, and wood, containing the mystery of the cross; even as Noah was saved by wood when he rode over the waters with his household. Accordingly, when the prophet says, 'I saved thee in the times of Noah,' as I have already remarked, he addresses the people who are equally faithful to God, and possess the same signs. For when Moses had the rod in his hands, he led your nation through the sea. And you believe that this was spoken to your nation only, or to the land. But the whole earth, as the Scripture says, was inundated, and the water rose in height fifteen cubits above all the mountains: so that it is evident this was not spoken to the land, but to the people who obeyed Him: for whom also He had before prepared a resting-place in Jerusalem, as was previously demonstrated by all the symbols of the deluge; I mean, that by water, faith, and wood, those who are afore-prepared, and who repent of the sins which they have committed, shall escape from the impending judgment of God. CHAPTER CXXXIX -- THE BLESSINGS, AND ALSO THE CURSE, PRONOUNCED BY NOAH WERE PROPHECIES OF THE FUTURE. "For another mystery was accomplished and predicted in the days of Noah, of which you are not aware. It is this: in the blessings wherewith Noah blessed his two sons, and in the curse pronounced on his son's son. For the Spirit of prophecy would not curse the son that had been by God blessed along with [his brothers]. But since the punishment of the sin would cleave to the whole descent of the son that mocked at his father's nakedness, he made the curse originate with his son. Now, in what he said, he foretold that the descendants of Shem would keep in retention the property and dwellings of Canaan: and again that the descendants of Japheth would take possession of the property of which Shem's descendants had dispossessed Canaan's descendants; and spoil the descendants of Shem, even as they plundered the sons of Canaan. And listen to the way in which it has so come to pass. For you, who have derived your lineage from Shem, invaded the territory of the sons of Canaan by the will of God; and you possessed it. And it is manifest that the sons of Japheth, having invaded you in turn by the judgment of God, have taken your land from you, and have possessed it. Thus it is written: 'And Noah awoke from the wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him; and he said, Cursed be Canaan, the servant; a servant shall he be unto his brethren. And he said, Blessed be the Lord God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant. May the Lord enlarge Japheth, and let him dwell in the houses of Shem; and let Canaan be his servant.' Accordingly, as two peoples were blessed,--those from Shem, and those from Japheth,--and as the offspring of Shem were decreed first to possess the dwellings of Canaan, and the offspring of Japheth were predicted as in turn receiving the same possessions, and to the two peoples there was the one people of Canaan handed over for servants; so Christ has come according to the power given Him from the Almighty Father, and summoning men to friendship, and blessing, and repentance, and dwelling together, has promised, as has already been proved, that there shall be a future possession for all the saints in this same land. And hence all men everywhere, whether bond or free, who believe in Christ, and recognise the truth in His own words and those of His prophets, know that they shall be with Him in that land, and inherit everlasting and incorruptible good. CHAPTER CXL -- IN Christ ALL ARE FREE. THE JEWS HOPE FOR SALVATION IN VAIN BECAUSE THEY ARE SONS OF ABRAHAM. "Hence also Jacob, as I remarked before, being himself a type of Christ, had married the two handmaids of his two free wives, and of them begat sons, for the purpose of indicating beforehand that Christ would receive even all those who amongst Japheth's race are descendants of Canaan, equally with the free, and would have the children fellow-heirs. And we are such; but you cannot comprehend this, because you cannot drink of the living fountain of God, but of broken cisterns which can hold no water, as the Scripture says. But they are cisterns broken, and holding no water, which your own teachers have digged, as the Scripture also expressly asserts, 'teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.' And besides, they beguile themselves and you, supposing that the everlasting kingdom will be assuredly given to those of the dispersion who are of Abraham after the flesh, although they be sinners, and faithless, and disobedient towards God, which the Scriptures have proved is not the case. For if so, Isaiah would never have said this: 'And unless the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we would have been like Sodom and Gomorrah.' And Ezekiel: 'Even if Noah, and Jacob, and Daniel were to pray for sons or daughters, their request should not be granted.' But neither shall the father perish for the son, nor the son for the father; but every one for his own sin, and each shall be saved for his own righteousness. And again Isaiah says: 'They shall look on the car; cases of them that have transgressed: their worm shall not cease, and their fire shall not be quenched; and they shall be a spectacle to all flesh.' And our Lord, according to the will of Him that sent Him, who is the Father and Lord of all, would not have said, 'They shall come from the east, and from the west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness.' Furthermore, I have proved in what has preceded," that those who were foreknown to be unrighteous, whether men or angels, are not made wicked by God's fault, but each man by his own fault is what he will appear to be. CHAPTER CXLI -- FREE-WILL IN MEN AND ANGELS. "But that you may not have a pretext for saying that Christ must have been crucified, and that those who transgressed must have been among your nation, and that the matter could not have been otherwise, I said briefly by anticipation, that God, wishing men and angels to follow His will, resolved to create them free to do righteousness; possessing reason, that they may know by whom they are created, and through whom they, not existing formerly, do now exist; and with a law that they should be judged by Him, if they do anything contrary to right reason: and of ourselves we, men and angels, shall be convicted of having acted sinfully, unless we repent beforehand. But if the word of God foretells that some angels and men shall be certainly punished, it did so because it foreknew that they would be unchangeably [wicked], but not because God had created them so. So that if they repent, all who wish for it can obtain mercy from God: and the Scripture foretells that they shall be blessed, saying, 'Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth not sin;' that is, having repented of his sins, that he may receive remission of them from God; and not as you deceive yourselves, and some others who resemble you in this, who say, that even though they be sinners, but know God, the Lord will not impute sin to them. We have as proof of this the one fall of David, which happened through his boasting, which was forgiven then when he so mourned and wept, as it is written. But if even to such a man no remission was granted before repentance, and only when this great king, and anointed one, and prophet, mourned and conducted himself so, how can the impure and utterly abandoned, if they weep not, and mourn not, and repent not, entertain the hope that the Lord will not impute to them sin? And this one fall of David, in the matter of Uriah's wife, proves, sirs," I said, "that the patriarchs had many wives, not to commit fornication, but that a certain dispensation and all mysteries might be accomplished by them; since, if it were allowable to take any wife, or as many wives as one chooses, and how he chooses, which the men of your nation do over all the earth, wherever they sojourn, or wherever they have been sent, taking women under the name of marriage, much more would David have been permitted to do this." When I had said this, dearest Marcus Pompeius, I came to an end. CHAPTER CXLII -- THE JEWS RETURN THANKS, AND LEAVE JUSTIN. Then Trypho, after a little delay, said, "You see that it was not intentionally that we came to discuss these points. And I confess that I have been particularly pleased with the conference; and I think that these are of quite the same opinion as myself. For we have found more than we expected, and more than it was possible to have expected. And if we could do this more frequently, we should be much helped in the searching of the Scriptures themselves. But since," he said, "you are on the eve of departure, and expect daily to set sail, do not hesitate to remember us as friends when you are gone." "For my part," I replied, "if I had remained, I would have wished to do the same thing daily. But now, since I expect, with God's will and aid, to set sail, I exhort you to give all diligence in this very great struggle for your own salvation, and to be earnest in setting a higher value on the Christ of the Almighty God than on your own teachers." After this they left me, wishing me safety in my voyage, and from every misfortune. And I, praying for them, said, "I can wish no better thing for you, sirs, than this, that, recognising in this way that intelligence is given to every man, you may be of the same opinion as ourselves, and believe that Jesushe is the Christ of God." |