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| Chapter CXX.—Christians were promised to Isaac, Jacob, and Judah.
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“Observe, too, how
the same promises are made to Isaac and to Jacob. For thus He speaks to
Isaac: ‘And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be
blessed.’2406
And to Jacob: ‘And
in thee and in thy seed shall all families of the earth be
blessed.’2407
He says that neither to
Esau nor to Reuben, nor to any other; only to those of whom the Christ
should arise, according to the dispensation, through the Virgin Mary. But
if you would consider the blessing of Judah, you would perceive what I
say. For the seed is divided from Jacob, and comes down through Judah,
and Phares, and Jesse, and David. And this was a symbol of the fact that
some of your nation would be found children of Abraham, and found, too,
in the lot of Christ; but that others, who are indeed children of
Abraham, would be like the sand on the sea-shore, barren and fruitless,
much in quantity, and without number indeed, but bearing no fruit
whatever, and only drinking the water of the sea. And a vast multitude in
your nation are convicted of being of this kind, imbibing doctrines of
bitterness and godlessness, but spurning the word of God. He speaks
therefore in the passage relating to Judah: ‘A prince shall not
fail from Judah, nor a ruler from his thighs, till that which is laid up
for him come; and He shall be the expectation of the nations.’2408
And it is plain that this was spoken not of
Judah, but of Christ. For all we out of all nations do expect not Judah,
but Jesus, who led your fathers out of Egypt. For the prophecy referred
even to the advent of Christ: ‘Till He come for whom this is laid
up, and He shall be the expectation of nations.’ Jesus came,
therefore, as we have shown at length, and is expected again to appear
above the clouds; whose name you profane, and labour hard to get it
profaned over all the earth. It were possible for me, sirs,” I
continued, “to contend against you about the reading which you so
interpret, saying it is written, ‘Till the things laid up for Him
come;’ though the Seventy have not so explained it, but thus,
‘Till He comes for whom this is laid up.’ But since what
follows indicates that the reference is to Christ (for it is, ‘and
He shall be the expectation of nations’), I do not proceed to have
a mere verbal controversy with you, as I have not attempted to establish
proof about Christ from the passages of Scripture which are not admitted
by you2409
| 2409 [Note this
important point. He forbears to cite the New Testament.] |
which I quoted from the words of Jeremiah the prophet, and Esdras, and
David; but from those which are even now admitted by you, which had your
teachers comprehended, be well assured they would have deleted them, as
they did those about the death of Isaiah, whom you sawed asunder with a
wooden saw. And this was a mysterious type of Christ being about to cut
your nation in two, and to raise those worthy of the honour to the
everlasting kingdom along with the holy patriarchs and prophets; but He
has said that He will send others to the condemnation of the unquenchable
fire along with similar disobedient and impenitent men from all the
nations. ‘For they shall come,’ He said, ‘from the west
and from the east, 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.’2410
And
I have mentioned
these things, taking nothing whatever into
consideration, except the speaking of the truth, and refusing to be
coerced by any one, even though I should be forthwith torn in pieces by
you. For I gave no thought to any of my people, that is, the Samaritans,
when I had a communication in writing with Cæsar,2411
| 2411 The Apology, i. chap. xxvi.; ii.
chap. xv. | but stated that they were wrong in trusting to the
magician Simon of their own nation, who, they say, is God above all
power, and authority, and might.”E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
|
