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Contra Faustum Manichaeum libri triginta tres

3.

Quamvis ergo et haec non parva videantur ad confirmandam suspicionem falsi de capitulo isto, plus tamen illo teneor, quia omnem, ut dixi, Moyseos scripturam scrutatus nullas ibi de Christo prophetias inveni. Nunc tamen te compertus melioris intellegentiae lectorem consecuturum me aliquid credo acturumque fateor gratias, si spem profectus ac doctrinae, quam mihi obiurgationis tuae fiducia promittit, nulla frustreris invidia, sed doceas, si quid est, quod me forte legentem praeterierit de deo ac de domino nostro memoratum in scriptura Moysi. Nec dixeris, quaeso, ut imperiti solent, hoc ipsum satis esse debere ad fidem, quia Christus dixerit de se scripsisse Moysen. p. 442,15 Nolo enim nunc ad me respicias, quem ad credendum professio mea fecit obnoxium, ut non possim non credere ei, quem sequor, sed puta nos cum Iudaeo tractare, puta cum gentili. Cum eis dixerimus: Moyses de Christo scripsit, quaesituri erunt probationes. Quid offeremus? Numquid nam dicere poterimus Christus hoc dixit, cui adhuc illi minime credunt? Nempe opus erit nos ipsis ostendere, quid scripserit.

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Reply to Faustus the Manichaean

3.

My chief reason, however, for suspecting the genuineness of this verse is what I said before, that in all my search of the writings of Moses I have found no prophecy of Christ. But now that I have found in you a reader of superior intelligence, I hope to learn something; and I promise to be grateful if no feeling of ill-will prevents you from giving me the benefit of your higher attainments, as your lofty style of reproof entitles me to expect from you. I ask for instruction in whatever the writings of Moses contain about our God and Lord which has escaped me in reading. I beseech you not to use the ignorant argument that Christ affirms Moses to have written of Him. For suppose you had not to deal with me, as in my case there is an obligation to believe Him whom I profess to follow, but with a Jew or a Gentile, in reply to the statement that Moses wrote of Christ, they will ask for proofs. What shall we say to them? We cannot quote Christ's authority, for they do not believe in Him. We must point out what Moses wrote.