Traduction Masquer
An Answer to the Jews

Chapter X.--Concerning the Passion of Christ, and Its Old Testament Predictions and Adumbrations.

Concerning the last step, plainly, of His passion you raise a doubt; affirming that the passion of the cross was not predicted with reference to Christ, and urging, besides, that it is not credible that God should have exposed His own Son to that kind of death; because Himself said, "Cursed is every one who shall have hung on a tree." ¹ But the reason of the case antecedently explains the sense of this malediction; for He says in Deuteronomy: "If, moreover, (a man) shall have been (involved) in some sin incurring the judgment of death, and shall die, and ye shall suspend him on a tree, his body shall not remain on the tree, but with burial ye shall bury him on the very day; because cursed by God is every one who shall have been suspended on a tree; and ye shall not defile the land which the Lord thy God shall give thee for (thy) lot." ² Therefore He did not maledictively adjudge Christ to this passion, but drew a distinction, that whoever, in any sin, had incurred the judgment of death, and died suspended on a tree, he should be "cursed by God," because his own sins were the cause of his suspension on the tree. On the other hand, Christ, who spoke not guile from His mouth, ³ and who exhibited all righteousness and humility, not only (as we have above recorded it predicted of Him) was not exposed to that kind of death for his own deserts, but (was so exposed) in order that what was predicted by the prophets as destined to come upon Him through your means ⁴ might be fulfilled; just as, in the Psalms, the Spirit Himself of Christ was already singing, saying, "They were repaying me evil for good;" ⁵ and, "What I had not seized I was then paying in full;" ⁶ "They exterminated my hands and feet;" ⁷ and, "They put into my drink gall, and in my thirst they slaked me with vinegar;" ⁸ "Upon my vesture they did cast (the) lot;" ⁹ just as the other (outrages) which you were to commit on Him were foretold,--all which He, actually and thoroughly suffering, suffered not for any evil action of His own, but "that the Scriptures from the mouth of the prophets might be fulfilled." ¹⁰

And, of course, it had been meet that the mystery ¹¹ of the passion itself should be figuratively set forth in predictions; and the more incredible (that mystery), the more likely to be "a stumbling-stone," ¹² if it had been nakedly predicted; and the more magnificent, the more to be adumbrated, that the difficulty of its intelligence might seek (help from) the grace of God.

Accordingly, to begin with, Isaac, when led by his father as a victim, and himself bearing his own "wood," ¹³ was even at that early period pointing to Christ's death; conceded, as He was, as a victim by the Father; carrying, as He did, the "wood" of His own passion. ¹⁴

Joseph, again, himself was made a figure of Christ ¹⁵ in this point alone (to name no more, not to delay my own course), that he suffered persecution at the hands of his brethren, and was sold into Egypt, on account of the favour of God; ¹⁶ just as Christ was sold by Israel--(and therefore,) "according to the flesh," by His "brethren" ¹⁷ --when He is betrayed by Judas. ¹⁸ For Joseph is withal blest by his father ¹⁹ after this form: "His glory (is that) of a bull; his horns, the horns of an unicorn; on them shall he toss nations alike unto the very extremity of the earth." Of course no one-horned rhinoceros was there pointed to, nor any two-horned minotaur. But Christ was therein signified: "bull," by reason of each of His two characters,--to some fierce, as Judge; to others gentle, as Saviour; whose "horns" were to be the extremities of the cross. For even in a ship's yard--which is part of a cross--this is the name by which the extremities are called; while the central pole of the mast is a "unicorn." By this power, in fact, of the cross, and in this manner horned, He does now, on the one hand, "toss" universal nations through faith, wafting them away from earth to heaven; and will one day, on the other, "toss" them through judgment, casting them down from heaven to earth.

He, again, will be the "bull" elsewhere too in the same scripture. ²⁰ When Jacob pronounced a blessing on Simeon and Levi, he prophesies of the scribes and Pharisees; for from them ²¹ is derived their ²² origin. For (his blessing) interprets spiritually thus: "Simeon and Levi perfected iniquity out of their sect," ²³ --whereby, to wit, they persecuted Christ: "into their counsel come not my soul! and upon their station rest not my heart! because in their indignation they slew men"--that is, prophets--"and in their concupiscence they hamstrung a bull!" ²⁴ --that is, Christ, whom--after the slaughter of prophets--they slew, and exhausted their savagery by transfixing His sinews with nails. Else it is idle if, after the murder already committed by them, he upbraids others, and not them, with butchery. ²⁵

But, to come now to Moses, why, I wonder, did he merely at the time when Joshua was battling against Amalek, pray sitting with hands expanded, when, in circumstances so critical, he ought rather, surely, to have commended his prayer by knees bended, and hands beating his breast, and a face prostrate on the ground; except it was that there, where the name of the Lord Jesus was the theme of speech--destined as He was to enter the lists one day singly against the devil--the figure of the cross was also necessary, (that figure) through which Jesus was to win the victory? ²⁶ Why, again, did the same Moses, after the prohibition of any "likeness of anything," ²⁷ set forth a brazen serpent, placed on a "tree," in a hanging posture, for a spectacle of healing to Israel, at the time when, after their idolatry, ²⁸ they were suffering extermination by serpents, except that in this case he was exhibiting the Lord's cross on which the "serpent" the devil was "made a show of," ²⁹ and, for every one hurt by such snakes--that is, his angels ³⁰ --on turning intently from the peccancy of sins to the sacraments of Christ's cross, salvation was outwrought? For he who then gazed upon that (cross) was freed from the bite of the serpents. ³¹

Come, now, if you have read in the utterance of the prophet in the Psalms, "God hath reigned from the tree," ³² I wait to hear what you understand thereby; for fear you may perhaps think some carpenter-king ³³ is signified, and not Christ, who has reigned from that time onward when he overcame the death which ensued from His passion of "the tree."

Similarly, again, Isaiah says: "For a child is born to us, and to us is given a son." ³⁴ What novelty is that, unless he is speaking of the "Son" of God?--and one is born to us the beginning of whose government has been made "on His shoulder." What king in the world wears the ensign of his power on his shoulder, and does not bear either diadem on his head, or else sceptre in his hand, or else some mark of distinctive vesture? But the novel "King of ages," Christ Jesus, alone reared "on His shoulder" His own novel glory, and power, and sublimity,--the cross, to wit; that, according to the former prophecy, the Lord thenceforth "might reign from the tree." For of this tree likewise it is that God hints, through Jeremiah, that you would say, "Come, let us put wood ³⁵ into his bread, and let us wear him away out of the land of the living; and his name shall no more be remembered." ³⁶ Of course on His body that "wood" was put; ³⁷ for so Christ has revealed, calling His body "bread," ³⁸ whose body the prophet in bygone days announced under the term "bread." If you shall still seek for predictions of the Lord's cross, the twenty-first Psalm will at length be able to satisfy you, containing as it does the whole passion of Christ; singing, as He does, even at so early a date, His own glory. ³⁹ "They dug," He says, "my hands and feet" ⁴⁰ --which is the peculiar atrocity of the cross; and again when He implores the aid of the Father, "Save me," He says, "out of the mouth of the lion"--of course, of death--"and from the horn of the unicorns my humility," ⁴¹ --from the ends, to wit, of the cross, as we have above shown; which cross neither David himself suffered, nor any of the kings of the Jews: that you may not think the passion of some other particular man is here prophesied than His who alone was so signally crucified by the People.

Now, if the hardness of your heart shall persist in rejecting and deriding all these interpretations, we will prove that it may suffice that the death of the Christ had been prophesied, in order that, from the fact that the nature of the death had not been specified, it may be understood to have been affected by means of the cross ⁴² and that the passion of the cross is not to be ascribed to any but Him whose death was constantly being predicted. For I desire to show, in one utterance of Isaiah, His death, and passion, and sepulture. "By the crimes," he says, "of my people was He led unto death; and I will give the evil for His sepulture, and the rich for His death, because He did not wickedness, nor was guile found in his mouth; and God willed to redeem His soul from death," ⁴³ and so forth. He says again, moreover: "His sepulture hath been taken away from the midst." ⁴⁴ For neither was He buried except He were dead, nor was His sepulture removed from the midst except through His resurrection. Finally, he subjoins: "Therefore He shall have many for an heritage, and of many shall He divide spoils:" ⁴⁵ who else (shall so do) but He who "was born," as we have above shown?--"in return for the fact that His soul was delivered unto death?" For, the cause of the favour accorded Him being shown,--in return, to wit, for the injury of a death which had to be recompensed,--it is likewise shown that He, destined to attain these rewards because of death, was to attain them after death--of course after resurrection. For that which happened at His passion, that mid-day grew dark, the prophet Amos announces, saying, "And it shall be," he says, "in that day, saith the Lord, the sun shall set at mid-day, and the day of light shall grow dark over the land: and I will convert your festive days into grief, and all your canticles into lamentation; and I will lay upon your loins sackcloth, and upon every head baldness; and I will make the grief like that for a beloved (son), and them that are with him like a day of mourning." ⁴⁶ For that you would do thus at the beginning of the first month of your new (years) even Moses prophesied, when he was foretelling that all the community of the sons of Israel was ⁴⁷ to immolate at eventide a lamb, and were to eat ⁴⁸ this solemn sacrifice of this day (that is, of the passover of unleavened bread) with bitterness;" and added that "it was the passover of the Lord," ⁴⁹ that is, the passion of Christ. Which prediction was thus also fulfilled, that "on the first day of unleavened bread" ⁵⁰ you slew Christ; ⁵¹ and (that the prophecies might be fulfilled) the day hasted to make an "eventide,"--that is, to cause darkness, which was made at mid-day; and thus "your festive days God converted into grief, and your canticles into lamentation." For after the passion of Christ there overtook you even captivity and dispersion, predicted before through the Holy Spirit.

Edition Masquer
Adversus Iudaeos

X.

[1] De exitu plane passionis eius ambigitis negantes passionem crucis in Christum praedicatam et argumentantes insuper non esse credendum, ut ad id genus mortis exposuerit deus filium suum, quod ipse dixit: Maledictus omnis qui pependerit in ligno. Sed huius maledictionis sensum antecedit rerum ratio. [2] Dicit enim in Deuteronomio: Si autem fuerit in aliquo delictum ad iudicium mortis et morietur et suspendetis in ligno, non manebit corpus eius in ligno, sed sepultura sepelietis eum ipsa die, quoniam maledictus a deo est omnis qui suspensus fuerit in ligno, et non inquinabitis terram quam dominus deus tuus dabit tibi in sortem. [3] Igitur non in hanc passionem Christum maledixit, sed distinctionem fecit, ut, qui in aliquo delicto iudicium mortis habuissetet moreretur suspensus in ligno, hic maledictus a deo esset, qui propter merita delictorum suorum suspenderetur in ligno. [4] Alioquin Christus qui dolum de ore suo locutus non est quique omnem iustitiam et humilitatem exhibuit, et ut supra de eo praedictum memoravimus, non pro meritis suis in id genus mortis expositus est, sed ut ea quae praedicata sunt a prophetis per vos ei obventura implerentur, sicut in psalmis ipse spiritus Christi iam canebat dicens: Retribuebant mihi mala pro bonis, et: Quae non rapueram tunc exsolvebam, et: Exterminaverunt manus meas et pedes, et: Miserunt in potum meum fel et in siti mea potaverunt me aceto, et: Super vestem meam miserunt sortem, sicuti cetera quae in illum commissuri essetis praedicta sunt. [5] Quae quidem omnia ipsa perpessus non pro actu suo aliquo malo passus est, sed ut scripturae implerentur de ore prophetarum. Et utique sacramentum passionis ipsius figurari in praedicationibus oportuerat, quantoque incredibile, tanto magis scandalum futuram si nude praedicaretur, quantoque magnificum, tanto magis obumbrandum, ut difficultas intellectus gratiam a deo quaereret.

[6] Itaque imprimis Isaac, cum a patre hostia duceretur lignum[que] ipse sibi portans, Christi exitum iam tunc denotabat in victimam concessi a patre lignum passionis suae baiulantis. Ioseph et ipse Christum figuratus vel hoc solo, ne cursum demorer, quod persecutionem a fratribus passus est et venumdatus in Aegyptum ob dei gratiam, sicut et Christus ab Israele, carnaliter a fratribus venumdatus, a Iuda cum traditur. [7] Nam et benedicitur a patre in haec verba Ioseph: Tauri decor eius, cornua unicornis cornua eius; in eis nationes ventilabit pariter ad summum usque terrae. Non utique rhinoceros destinabatur unicornis nec minotaurus bicornis, sed Christus in illo significabatur, taurus ob utramque dispositionem, aliis ferus ut iudex aliis mansuetus ut salvator, cuius cornua essent crucis extima -- nam et in antemna navis quae crucis pars est hoc extremitates eius vocantur --, unicornis autem medio stipite palus. [8] Hac denique virtute crucis et hoc more cornutus universas gentes et nunc ventilat per fidem auferens a terra in caelum et tunc ventilabit per iudicium deiciens de caelo in terram. Idem erit et alibi taurus apud eandem scripturam. Cum Iacob in Simeonem et Levi porrexit benedictionem, de scribis et pharisaeis prophetat; ex illis enim deducitur census illorum. [9] Interpretatur enim spiritaliter sic: Simeon et Levi perfecerunt iniquitatem ex sua secta, qua scilicet Christum sunt persecuti; in concilium eorum ne veniat anima mea et in statiomm eorum ne incubuerint viscera mea, quoniam in indignatione sua interfecerunt homines, id est prophetas, et in concupiscentia sua subnervaverunt taurum, id est Christum quem post necem prophetarum interfecerunt et nervos eius suffigendo clavis desaevierunt. [10] Ceterum vanum, si post homicidia iam ab eis commissa + aliis et non ipsis + exprobrat carnificinam. Iam vero Moyses quid utique tunc tantum, cum Iesus adversus Amelech proeliabatur, expansis manibus orabat residens, quando in rebus tam attonitis magis utique genibus positis et manibus caedentibus pectus et facie humi volutante orationem commendare debuisset, nisi quia illic, ubi nomen domini Iesu dicebat dimicaturi quandoque adversus diabolum, crucis habitus quoque erat necessarius, per quam Iesus victoriam esset relaturus ? Idem rursus Moyses post interdictam omnis rei similitudinem cur aereum serpentem ligno impositum pendentis habitu in spectaculum Israeli salutare proposuit eo tempore quo a serpentibus post idololatriam exterminabantur, nisi quod hic dominicam crucem intentabat, qua serpens diabolus designabatur et laesus quisque ab eiusmodi colubris id est angelis eius a delictorum peccantia ad crucis istius sacramenta intentus salvus efficiebatur ? nam qui in illam tunc respiciebat a morsu serpentium liberabatur.

[11] Age nunc, si legisti penes prophetam in psalmis: Dominus regnavit a ligno, expecto quid intellegas, ne forte lignarium aliquem regem significari putetis et non Christum qui exinde a passione ligni superata morte regnavit. Proinde et Esaias: Quoniam puer, inquit, natus est vobis et datus est vobis filius; quid novum, si non de filio dei dicit ? -- Et datus est vobis cuius imperium [initium] factum est super humerum ipsius. [12] Quis omnino regum insigne potestatis suae humero praefert et non aut capite diadema aut manu sceptrum aut + aliqua proprietate usus nova + ? Sed solus novus rex aevorum Christus Iesus novam gloriam et potestatem et sublimitatem suam in humero extulit, crucem scilicet, ut secundum superiorem prophetiam exinde dominus regnaret a ligno. De hoc enim ligno etiam deus per Hieremiam insinuat quod essetis dicturi: Venite, immittamus in pane eius lignum et conteramus eum a terra vivorum et nomen illius non memorabitur amplius. Utique in corpus eius lignum missum est. Sic enim Christus revelavit panem corpus suum appellans, cuius retro corpus in pane prophetes nuntiavit. [13] Si adhuc quaeris dominicae crucis praedicationes, satis iam poterit tibi facere vicesimus primus psalmus totam Christi continens passionem canentis iam tunc gloriam suam: Foderunt, inquit, manus meas et pedes, quae propria est atrocitas crucis. Et rursus, cum auxilium patris implorat: Salvum me fac, inquit, ex ore leonis, utique mortis, et de cornibus unicornuorum humilitatem meam, de apicibus scilicet crucis, ut supra ostendimus. [14] Quam crucem nec ipse David passus est nec ullus regum Iudaeorum, ne putetis alterius alicuius prophetari passionem quam eius qui solus a populo tam insigniter crucifixus est.

Nunc si omnes istas interpretationes respuerit et inriserit duritia cordis vestri, probabimus sufficere posse mortem Christi prophetatam, ut ex hoc quod non esset edicta qualis mors intellegatur per crucem evenisse nec alii deputandam fuisse passionem crucis quam cuius mors praedicabatur. [15] Nam mortem eius et passionem et sepulturam una voce Esaiae volo ostendere: A facinoribus, inquit, populi mei perductus est ad mortem et dabo malos pro sepultura eius et divites pro morte eius, quia scelus non fecit nec dolus in ore eius inventus est; et deus voluit eximere a morte animam eius et cetera. [16] Dicit etiam adhuc: Sepultura eius sublata est e medio. Nec sepultus enim est nisi mortuus nec sepultura eius sublata est e medio nisi per resurrectionem eius. Denique subiungit: Propterea ipse multos in hereditatem habebit et multorum dividet spolia -- quis alius nisi qui + natus + est, ut supra ostendimus ? -- pro eo quod tradita est in mortem anima eius. Ostensa enim causa gratiae eius, pro iniuria scilicet mortis repensandae, pariter ostensum est haec illum propter mortem consecuturum post mortem, utique post resurrectionem, consecuturum. [17] Nam quod in passione eius accidit, ut media dies tenebresceret, Amos propheta adnuntiat dicens: Et erit, inquit, in die illa, dicit dominus: occidet sol media die et tenebrescet super terram dies luminis et convertam dies festos vestros in luctum et omnia cantica vestra in lamentationem et imponam super lumbos vestros saccum et super omne caput calvitium et ponam eum quasi luctum dilecti et eos qui cum illo quasi diem maeroris. [18] Hoc enim et Moyses initio primi mensis novorum facturos vos prophetavit, cum omne vulgus filiorum Israelis ad vesperam agnum esset immolaturum, et hanc sollemnitatem diei huius id est paschae azymorum cum amaritudine manducaturos praecanebat et adiecit pascha esse domini id est passionem Christi, quod ita quoque adimpletum est, ut prima die azymorum interficeretis Christum. [19] Et ut prophetiae implerentur, properavit dies vesperam facere id est tenebras efficere, quae media die factae sunt, atque ita dies festos vestros convertit deus in luctum et cantica vestra in lamentationem. Post enim passionem Christi etiam captivitas vobis et dispersio obvenit praedicata ante per spiritum sanctum.