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Contra Faustum Manichaeum libri triginta tres

39.

Itaque etiam ipsi Iudaei, qui Christum, cuius passionem nos agnovimus, illi derident, nolunt talibus rerum non tantum dictarum, sed etiam gestarum figuris praenuntiatum videri, coguntur nobis dicere, quid illa significent: quae nisi aliquid significare concedunt, tam divinae auctoritatis libros ab ineptarum fabularum ignominia non defendunt. Vidit hoc Philo quidam, vir liberaliter eruditissimus, unus illorum, cuius eloquium Graeci Platoni aequare non dubitant, et conatus est aliqua interpretari, non ad Christum intellegendum, in quem non crediderat, sed ut inde magis appareret, quantum intersit, utrum ad Christum referas omnia, propter quem vere sic dicta sunt, an praeter illum quaslibet coniecturas quolibet mentis acumine persequaris, quantumque valeat quod apostolus ait: Cum transieris ad dominum, auferetur velamen. p. 366,5 Ut enim quiddam eiusdem Philonis commemorem, arcam diluvii secundum rationem humani corporis fabricatam volens intellegi tamquam membratim omnia pertractabat. Cui subtilissime numerorum etiam regulas consulenti congruenter occurrebant omnia, quae ad intellegendum Christum nihil impedirent, quoniam in corpore humano etiam ille humani generis salvator apparuit, nec tamen cogerent, quia corpus humanum est utique et hominum ceterorum. p. 366,12 At ubi ventum est ad ostium, quod in arcae latere factum est, omnis humani ingenii coniectura defecit. Ut tamen aliquid diceret, inferiores corporis partes, qua urina et fimus egeruntur, illo ostio significari ausus est credere, ausus et dicere, ausus et scribere. Non mirum, si ostio non invento sic erravit. Quodsi ad Christum transisset, ablato velamine sacramenta ecclesiae manantia ex latere hominis illius invenisset. Nam quia praedictum est: Erunt duo in carne una, propterea et in arca quaedam ibi ad Christum, quaedam vero ad ecclesiam referuntur, quod totum Christus est. Sic et in ceteris interpretationibus figurarum per universum textum divinae scripturae licet considerare et comparare sensus eorum, qui Christum ibi intellegunt, et eorum, qui praeter Christum ad alia quaelibet ea detorquere conantur. p. 366,26

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Reply to Faustus the Manichaean

39.

The Jews themselves, who scoff at the crucified Saviour in whom we believe, and who consequently will not allow that Christ is predicted in the sayings and actions recorded in the Old Testament, are compelled to come to us for an explanation of those things which, if not explained, must appear trifling and ridiculous. This led Philo, a Jew of great learning, whom the Greeks speak of as rivalling Plato in eloquence, to attempt to explain some things without any reference to Christ, in whom he did not believe. His attempt only shows the inferiority of all ingenious speculations, when made without keeping Christ in view, to whom all the predictions really point. So true is that saying of the apostle: "When they shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away." ¹ For instance, Noah's ark is, according to Philo, a type of the human body, member by member: with this view, he shows that the numerical proportions agree perfectly. For there is no reason why a type of Christ should not be a type of the human body, too, since the Saviour of mankind appeared in a human body, though what is typical of a human body is not necessarily typical of Christ. Philo's explanation fails, however, as regards the door in the side of the ark. He actually, for the sake of saying something, makes this door represent the lower apertures of the body. He has the hardihood to put this in words, and on paper. Indeed, he knew not the door and could not understand the symbol. Had he turned to Christ the veil would have been taken away, and he would have found the sacraments of the Church flowing from the side of Christ's human body. For, according to the announcement, "They two shall be one flesh," some things in the ark which is a type of Christ, refer to Christ, and some to the Church. This contrast between the explanations which keep Christ in view, and all other ingenious perversions, is the same in every particular of all the figures in Scripture.