Traduction Masquer
The City of God

Chapter 4.--That Proofs of the Last Judgment Will Be Adduced, First from the New Testament, and Then from the Old.

The proofs, then, of this last judgment of God which I propose to adduce shall be drawn first from the New Testament, and then from the Old. For although the Old Testament is prior in point of time, the New has the precedence in intrinsic value; for the Old acts the part of herald to the New. We shall therefore first cite passages from the New Testament, and confirm them by quotations from the Old Testament. The Old contains the law and the prophets, the New the gospel and the apostolic epistles. Now the apostle says "By the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; now the righteousness of God is by faith of Jesus Christ upon all them that believe." ¹ This righteousness of God belongs to the New Testament, and evidence for it exists in the old books, that is to say, in the law and the prophets. I shall first, then state the case, and then call the witnesses. This order Jesus Christ Himself directs us to observe, saying, "The scribe instructed in the kingdom of God is like a good householder, bringing out of his treasure things new and old." ² He did not say "old and new," which He certainly would have said had He not wished to follow the order of merit rather than that of time.

Edition Masquer
De civitate Dei (CCSL)

Caput IV: Quod ad disserendum de nouissimo iudicio dei noui primum testamenti ac deinde ueteris testimonia prolaturus sit.

Huius itaque ultimi iudicii dei testimonia de scripturis sanctis, quae ponere institui, prius eligenda sunt de libris instrumenti noui, postea de ueteris. quamuis enim uetera priora sint tempore, noua tamen anteponenda sunt dignitate, quoniam illa uetera praeconia sunt nouorum. noua igitur ponentur prius, quae ut firmius probemus, adsumentur et uetera. in ueteribus habentur lex et prophetae, in nouis euangelium et apostolicae litterae. ait autem apostolus: per legem enim cognitio peccati. nunc autem sine lege iustitia dei manifestata est, testificata per legem et prophetas; iustitia autem dei per fidem Iesu Christi in omnes qui credunt. haec iustitia dei ad nouum pertinet testamentum et testimonium habet a ueteribus libris, hoc est lege ac prophetis. prius igitur ipsa causa ponenda est, et postea testes introducendi. hunc et ipse Christus Iesus ordinem seruandum esse demonstrans: scriba, inquit, eruditus in regno dei similis est uiro patri familias proferenti de thesauro suo noua et uetera. non dixit: uetera et noua, quod utique dixisset, nisi maluisset meritorum ordinem seruare quam temporum.