Edition Masquer
Contra Faustum Manichaeum libri triginta tres

12.

Gemens et tremens eris in terra. Nunc ecce, quis non videat, quis non agnoscat in tota terra, quacumque dispersus est ille populus, quomodo gemat maerore amissi regni et tremat timore sub innumerabilibus populis christianis? Ideoque respondit Cain et dixit: Maior est causa mea; si eicis me hodie a facie terrae, et a facie tua abscondar, et ero gemens et tremens super terram, et erit, omnis, qui invenerit me, occidet me. p. 341,12 Vere inde gemit et tremit, ne regno etiam terreno perdito ista visibili morte occidatur. Hanc dicit maiorem causam quam illam, quod ei terra non dat virtutem suam, ne spiritaliter moriatur. Carnaliter enim sapit et abscondi a facie dei, id est iratum habere deum grave non putat, nisi ne inveniatur et occidatur. Carnaliter sapit tamquam operans terram, cuius virtutem non accipit. Sapere autem secundum carnem mors est; quam ille non intellegens amisso regno gemit et corporalem mortem tremit. Sed quid ei respondet deus? Non sic inquit; omnis, qui occiderit Cain, septem vindictas exsolvet; p. 341,22 id est: non sic quomodo dicis; non corporali morte interibit genus impium carnalium Iudaeorum. Quicumque enim eos ita perdiderit, septem vindictas exsolvet; id est, auferet ab eis septem vindictas, quibus alligati sunt propter reatum occisi Christi, ut hoc toto tempore, quod septenario dierum numero volvitur, magis quia non interit gens Iudaea satis appareat fidelibus Christianis, quam subiectionem meruerint, qui superbo regno dominum interfecerunt.

Traduction Masquer
Reply to Faustus the Manichaean

12.

"Groaning and trembling shalt thou be on the earth." Here no one can fail to see that in every land where the Jews are scattered they mourn for the loss of their kingdom, and are in terrified subjection to the immensely superior number of Christians. So Cain answered, and said: "My case is worse, if Thou drivest me out this day from the face of the earth, and from Thy face shall I be hid, and I shall be a mourner and an outcast on the earth; and it shall be that every one that findeth me shall slay me." Here he groans indeed in terror, lest after losing his earthly possession he should suffer the death of the body. This he calls a worse case than that of the ground not yielding to him its strength, or than that of spiritual death. For his mind is carnal; for he thinks little of being hid from the face of God, that is, of being under the anger of God, were it not that he may be found and slain. This is the carnal mind that tills the ground, but does not obtain its strength. To be carnally minded is death; but he, in ignorance of this, mourns for the loss of his earthly possession, and is in terror of bodily death. But what does God reply? "Not so," He says; "but whosoever shall kill Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold." That is, It is not as thou sayest; not by bodily death shall the ungodly race of carnal Jews perish. For whoever destroys them in this way shall suffer sevenfold vengeance, that is, shall bring upon himself the sevenfold penalty under which the Jews lie for the crucifixion of Christ. So to the end of the seven days of time, the continued preservation of the Jews will be a proof to believing Christians of the subjection merited by those who, in the pride of their kingdom, put the Lord to death.