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| Chapter VIII
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Chapter
VIII.
He says, further, that “many other persons would
appear such as Jesus was, to those who were willing to be
deceived.” Let this Jew of Celsus then show us, not many
persons, nor even a few, but a single individual, such as Jesus was,
introducing among the human race, with the power that was manifested in
Him, a system of doctrine and opinions beneficial to human life, and
which converts men from the practice of wickedness. He says,
moreover, that this charge is brought against the Jews by the Christian
converts, that they have not believed in Jesus as in God. Now on
this point we have, in the preceding pages, offered a preliminary
defence, showing at the same time in what respects we understand Him to
be God, and in what we take Him to be man. “How should
we,” he continues, “who have made known to all men that
there is to come from God one who is to punish the wicked, treat him
with disregard when he came?” And to this, as an
exceedingly silly argument, it does not seem to me reasonable to offer
any answer. It is as if some one were to say, “How could
we, who teach temperance, commit any act of licentiousness? or we, who
are ambassadors for righteousness, be guilty of any
wickedness?” For as these inconsistencies are found among
men, so, to say that they believed the prophets when speaking of the
future advent of Christ, and yet refused their belief to Him when He
came, agreeably to prophetic statement, was quite in keeping with human
nature. And since we must add another reason, we shall remark
that this very result was foretold by the prophets. Isaiah
distinctly declares: “Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not
understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:
for the heart of this people has become fat,”3233
etc. And let them explain why it was
predicted to the Jews, that although they both heard and saw, they
would not understand what was said, nor perceive what was seen as they
ought. For it is indeed manifest, that when they beheld Jesus
they did not see who He was; and when they heard Him, they did not
understand from His words the divinity that was in Him, and which
transferred God’s providential care, hitherto exercised over the
Jews, to His converts from the heathen. Therefore we may see,
that after the advent of Jesus the Jews were altogether abandoned, and
possess now none of what were considered their ancient glories, so that
there is no indication of any Divinity abiding amongst them. For
they have no longer prophets nor miracles, traces of which to a
considerable extent are still found among Christians, and some of them
more remarkable than any that existed among the Jews; and these we
ourselves have witnessed, if our testimony may be received.3234
| 3234 [“The
Fathers, while they refer to extraordinary divine agency going on in
their own day, also with one consent represent miracles as having
ceased since the apostolic era.”—Mozley’s Bampton Lectures, On Miracles, p.
165. See also, Newman’s Essay on the Miracles of the
Early Ages, quoted by Mozley. S.] | But the Jew of Celsus exclaims:
“Why did we treat him, whom we announced beforehand, with
dishonour? Was it that we might be chastised more than
others?” To which we have to answer, that on account of
their unbelief, and the other insults which they heaped upon Jesus, the
Jews will not only suffer more than others in that judgment which is
believed to impend over the world, but have even already endured such
sufferings. For what nation is an exile from their own
metropolis, and from the place sacred to the worship of their fathers,
save the Jews alone? And these calamities they have suffered,
because they were a most wicked nation, which, although guilty of many
other sins, yet has been punished so severely for none, as for those
that were committed against our Jesus.E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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