44. Now this word also has
the veil. For up to the time of Herod they did appear to retain a
kingdom in some sort; and it was by Augustus that the first enrolment
took place among them, and that they began to pay tribute, and to be
rated.1968
Now it
was also from the time when our
Lord Jesus Christ began to be
prophesied of and looked for that there began to be
princes from
Judah
and
leaders of the people; and these, again,
failed just at the
approach of His
advent. If, then, the
veil is taken away which is
put on in that reading of theirs, they will understand the true
virtue
of the
circumcision; and they will also
discover that the generation of
Him whom we
preach, and His
cross, and all the things that have
happened in the history of our
Lord, are those very matters which had
been predicted of that
Prophet. And I could wish, indeed, to
examine every such passage of Scripture by itself, and to point out its
import, as it is meet that it should be understood.
1969
| 1969
Reading “sermonem, et ostendere ut intelligi dignum
est.” The Codex Bobiensis gives a mutilated version:
“sermonem, ut intelligi, dignum est.” |
But as it is another subject that
is now urgent, these passages shall be discussed by us at some
season
of
leisure. For at present, what I have already said may be
sufficient for the purpose of showing, that it is not without reason
that the
veil is (said to be) put upon the
heart of certain persons in
the reading of the Old Testament. But those who turn to the
Lord
shall have the
veil taken away from them. What precise force all
these things, however, may possess, I leave to the apprehension of
those who have sound intelligence. Let us come now again to that
word of
Moses, in which he says: “The
Lord your
God shall
raise up a
Prophet unto you, of your
brethren, like unto
me.” In this saying I perceive a great
prophecy delivered
by the
servant Moses, as by one cognizant
1970
| 1970
Reading “Moysi scientis,” which is the emendation of
Valesius. But Codex Casinensis gives “scientibus,”
and Codex Bobiensis has “scientes.” |
that He who is to come is indeed to be
possessed of greater
authority than himself, and nevertheless is to
suffer like things with
him, and to show like
signs and
wonders. For there,
Moses after
his
birth was placed by his mother in an
ark, and exposed beside the
banks of the
river;
1971
here, our
Lord Jesus Christ, after His
birth by
Mary His mother, was
sent off in flight into Egypt through the instrumentality of an
angel.
1972
There,
Moses led forth his people from the midst of the Egyptians, and
saved
them;
1973
and here,
Jesus, leading forth His people from the midst of the
Pharisees,
transferred them to an
eternal salvation.
1974
There,
Moses sought
bread by
prayer, and received it from
heaven, in order that he might
feed the
people with it in the
wilderness;
1975
here, my
Lord Jesus by His own
power
satisfied
1976
| 1976
Adopting “satiavit.” The Codex Bobiensis gives
“saturavit.” |
with five
loaves five
thousand men in the
wilderness.
1977
There,
Moses when he was tried
was set upon the
mountain and fasted forty days;
1978
and here, my
Lord Jesus was led by the
Spirit into the
wilderness when He was tempted of the
devil, and fasted
in like manner forty days.
1979
There, before the sight of
Moses,
all the first-
born of the Egyptians
perished on account of the
treachery of
Pharaoh;
1980
and here, at the time of the
birth of
Jesus, every male among the
Jews
suddenly
perished by reason of the treachery of
Herod.
1981
There,
Moses prayed that
Pharaoh and his people might be spared the
plagues;
1982
and here, our
Lord Jesus prayed that the
Pharisees might be pardoned, when He said,
“
Father,
forgive them, for they know not what they
do.”
1983
There,
the
countenance of
Moses shone with the
glory of the
Lord, so that the
children of
Israel could not stedfastly look upon his face, on account
of the
glory of his
countenance;
1984
and here, the
Lord Jesus Christ shone
like the sun,
1985
and His
disciples were not able to look upon His face by reason of the
glory of
His
countenance and the intense splendour of the
light. There,
Moses smote down with the
sword those who had set up the
calf;
1986
and here, the
Lord Jesus said, “I came to send a
sword upon the
earth, and to
set a man at variance with his neighbour,”
1987
and so on. There,
Moses went
without
fear into the
darkness of the
clouds that carry
water;
1988
and here,
the
Lord Jesus walked with all
power upon the waters.
1989
There,
Moses gave his commands to
the
sea;
1990
and here, the
Lord
Jesus, when he was on the
sea,
1991
| 1991
Reading “in mari.” But the Codex Bobiensis has in
navi = on a ship. |
rose and gave His commands to the
winds and the
sea.
1992
There,
Moses, when he was assailed,
stretched forth his
hands and
fought against
Amalek;
1993
and here, the
Lord Jesus, when we were
assailed and were perishing by the
violence of that erring spirit who
works now in the just,
1994
| 1994 The
text gives in justis. But the Codex Bobiensis has in
istis = in those men. The true reading may be in
injustis = in the unrighteous. See Eph. ii. 2. |
stretched forth His
hands upon the
cross, and gave us
salvation.
But there are indeed many other matters of this
kind which I must pass
by, my dearly
beloved Diodorus, as I am in
haste to send you this
little book with all convenient
speed; and these omissions of mine you
will be able yourself to supply very easily by your own
intelligence.
Write me, however, an account of all that this
servant of the
adversary’s cause may do hereafter. May the
Omnipotent1995
| 1995 But
the Codex Casinensis gives “Deus omnium” = the God of
all. |
God preserve you
whole in soul and in spirit!
E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
