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Contra Faustum Manichaeum libri triginta tres

4.

At quam elegantem rem sibi visus est Faustus dicere, ubi propterea voluit non credi haec scripsisse Matthaeum, quia cum de sua electione diceret, non ait: Vidit me et dixit mihi: sequere me, sed: Vidit Matthaeum et dixit ei: sequere me. Quod nescio utrum de errore imperitiae dixerit, an de more fallaciae. Sed non usque adeo imperitum putaverim, ut nec legerit nec audierit solere scriptores rerum gestarum, cum in suam personam venerint, ita se contexere, tamquam de alio narrent, quod de se narrant. Magis ergo hunc arbitror non ut imperitum, sed ut imperitis nebulam obtendere voluisse sperantem se plures esse capturum, qui ista non nossent. p. 486,29 Et in historia quidem rerum saecularium talis narrationis reperiuntur exempla; sed non opus est, ut ex alio genere litterarum vel nostros admoneam vel istum refellam. Ipse certe paulo ante de libris Moysi quaedam testimonia ita proferebat, ut non ea negaret scripsisse Moysen, immo et affirmaret, sed ad Christum non pertinere contenderet. Legant ergo in eisdem libris, quae de se scripsit Moyses, utrum ita scripserit: Dixi, aut: feci hoc vel illud, et non potius: Dixit Moyses, et: fecit Moyses, aut: Vocavit me dominus, vel: Dixit ad me dominus, et non potius: Vocavit dominus Moysen, et: Dixit dominus ad Moysen, et omnia cetera in eundem modum. Ita ergo et Matthaeus de se tamquam de alio scripsit. Quod et Iohannes fecit; nam circa finem libri sui etiam ipse sic loquitur: Conversus Petrus vidit discipulum, quem diligebat Iesus, qui et recumbebat in cena super pectus eius et dixerat domino: ‛Quis est, qui te tradet?’ . Numquid et hic dixit: Conversus Petrus vidit me? p. 487,17 An forte propterea nec istum putant hoc evangelium scripsisse? Sed paulo post dicit: Hic est discipulus, qui testificatur de Iesu et qui haec scripsit; et scimus, quia verum est testimonium eius. Numquid ait: Ego sum discipulus, qui testificor de Iesu et qui haec scripsi et scimus, quia verum est testimonium meum? Certe manifestum est morem fuisse scriptorum, cum gesta narrarent. Quam multa et ipse dominus eadem locutione de se dicit, quis enumerare sufficiat? Cum venerit inquit filius hominis, putas, inveniet fidem in terra? Non dixit: Cum venero, putas, inveniam? Et: Venit filius hominis manducans et bibens; non dixit: Veni. Et: veniet hora, et nunc est, cum mortui audient vocem filii dei; et qui audierint vivent; p. 488,5 non dixit: Vocem meam, et multa huiusmodi, unde iam puto sufficere, quae dicta sunt, et ad studiosos commonendos et ad calumniosos convincendos.

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Reply to Faustus the Manichaean

4.

Faustus thinks himself wonderfully clever in proving that Matthew was not the writer of this Gospel, because, when speaking of his own election, he says not, He saw me, and said to me, Follow me; but, He saw him, and said to him, Follow me. This must have been said either in ignorance or from a design to mislead. Faustus can hardly be so ignorant as not to have read or heard that narrators, when speaking of themselves, often use a construction as if speaking of another. It is more probable that Faustus wished to bewilder those more ignorant than himself, in the hope of getting hold on not a few unacquainted with these things. It is needless to resort to other writings to quote examples of this construction from profane authors for the information of our friends, and for the refutation of Faustus. We find examples in passages quoted above from Moses by Faustus himself, without any denial, or rather with the assertion, that they were written by Moses, only not written of Christ. When Moses, then, writes of himself, does he say, I said this, or I did that, and not rather, Moses said, and Moses did? Or does he say, The Lord called me, The Lord said to me, and not rather, The Lord called Moses, The Lord said to Moses, and so on? So Matthew, too, speaks of himself in the third person. And John does the same; for towards the end of his book he says: "Peter, turning, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved, who also lay on His breast at supper, and who said to the Lord, Who is it that shall betray Thee?" Does he say, Peter, turning, saw me? Or will you argue from this that John did not write this Gospel? But he adds a little after: "This is the disciple that testifies of Jesus, and has written these things; and we know that his testimony is true." ¹ Does he say, I am the disciple who testify of Jesus, and who have written these things, and we know that my testimony is true? Evidently this style is common in writers of narratives. There are innumerable instances in which the Lord Himself uses it. "When the Son of man," He says, "cometh, shall He find faith on the earth?" ² Not, When I come, shall I find? Again, "The Son of man came eating and drinking;" ³ not, I came. Again, "The hour shall come, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear shall live;" ⁴ not, My voice. And so in many other places. This may suffice to satisfy inquirers and to refute scoffers.