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Contra Faustum Manichaeum libri triginta tres

18.

Quid habes igitur, haeretica vanitas, unde te putes posse convincere non de Christo esse praedictum: Suscitabo illis prophetam de fratribus ipsorum similem tibi, quando ne hinc quidem potes, quod dissimilem ostendis? Aliis enim causis et nos similem ostendimus. An quia propheta dictus est, qui et homo esse dignatus est, et tam multa futura praedixit? p. 459,20 Nisi forte aliud est propheta quam homo ultra humanas coniecturas futura praenuntians. Unde et ipse de se ipso ait: Non est propheta sine honore nisi in patria sua<(i>. Sed de te videro, qui te convictum paulo ante confessus es, cum dixisti, quod te ad credendum evangelio professio tua fecit obnoxium. Iudaeus ipse procedat in medium, qui cervicem a iugo Christi male liberam tollit et ideo sibi adhuc fas putat dicere: mentitus est Christus vester; nihil de illo scripsit Moyses*.

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Reply to Faustus the Manichaean

18.

What other reason has your heretical folly to give for thinking that there is no prophecy of Christ in the words, "I will raise up unto them a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee?" Your showing Christ to be unlike Moses is no reason; for we can show that in other respects He is like. How can you object to Christ's being called a prophet, since He condescended to be a man, and actually foretold many future events? What is a prophet, but one who predicts events beyond human foresight? So Christ says of Himself: "A prophet is not without honor, save in his own country." ¹ But, turning from you, since you have already acknowledged that your profession of Christianity obliges you to believe the Gospel, I address myself to the Jew, who enjoys the poor privilege of liberty from the yoke of Christ, and who therefore thinks it allowable to say: Your Christ spoke falsely; Moses wrote nothing of him.