Traduction Masquer
Reply to Faustus the Manichaean

44.

The same Saviour is spoken of in Daniel, where the Son of man appears before the Ancient of days, and receives a kingdom without end, that all nations may serve Him. ¹ In the passage quoted from Daniel by the Lord Himself, "When ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place, let him that readeth understand," ² the number of weeks points not only to Christ, but to the very time of His advent. With the Jews, who look to Christ for salvation as we do, but deny that He has come and suffered, we can argue from actual events. Besides the conversion of the heathen, now so universal, as prophesied of Christ in their own Scriptures, there are the events in the history of the Jews themselves. Their holy place is thrown down, the sacrifice has ceased, and the priest, and the ancient anointing; which was all clearly foretold by Daniel when he prophesied of the anointing of the Most Holy. ³ Now, that all these things have taken place, we ask the Jews for the anointed Most Holy, and they have no answer to give. But it is from the Old Testament that the Jews derive all the knowledge they have of Christ and His advent. Why do they ask John whether he is Christ? Why do they say to the Lord, "How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou art the Christ, tell us plainly." Why do Peter and Andrew and Philip say to Nathanael, "We have found Messias, which is interpreted Christ," but because this name was known to them from the prophecies of their Scriptures? In no other nation were the kings and priests anointed, and called Anointed or Christs. Nor could this symbolical anointing be discontinued till the coming of Him who was thus prefigured. For among all their anointed ones the Jews looked for one who was to save them. But in the mysterious justice of God they were blinded; and thinking only of the power of the Messiah, they did not understand His weakness, in which He died for us. In the book of Wisdom it is prophesied of the Jews: "Let us condemn him to an ignominious death; for he will be proved in his words. If he is truly the Son of God, He will aid him; and deliver him from the hand of his enemies. Thus they thought, and erred; for their wickedness blinded them." ⁴ These words apply also to those who, in spite of all these evidences, in spite of such a series of prophecies, and of their fulfillment, still deny that Christ is foretold in the Scriptures. As often as they repeat this denial, we can produce fresh proofs, with the help of Him who has made such provision against human perversity, that proofs already given need not be repeated.

Edition Masquer
Contra Faustum Manichaeum libri triginta tres

44.

Quis non eundem salvatorem agnoscat apud Danihelem, cum antiquo dierum offertur filius hominis et accipit regnum sine fine, ut serviant ei omnes gentes? Iam vero si locum illum ‹legas›, quem commemoravit dominus ex eiusdem Danihelis prophetia: Cum videritis abominationem vastationis [‹quae dicta est a Danihele›,] stantem in loco sancto; qui legit intellegat, si supputatis etiam temporibus hebdomadum ille numerus pertractetur, non solum Christus sed etiam tempus reperitur, quo eum oportuit venire passurum. p. 372,13 Quamquam et sine computatione temporum manifestis rerum effectibus Iudaeos urgere soleamus, cum quibus nobis, non utrum in Christo sit salus nostra, sed utrum iam venerit passusque fuerit disceptatio est. Convincuntur autem rebus ipsis apertissimis non solum de fide omnium gentium, quas ei servituras eadem, cui cedere coguntur, scriptura praedixit, quae ita clarescit toto orbe terrarum, ut omnium tergiversantium oculos feriat, verum etiam de iis, quae in ipsa Iudaeorum gente iam facta sunt: quod sacrarium eversum est, quod cessavit hostia et sacerdos et unctio pristina; quae omnia Danihel tunc praenuntiavit futura, quando ungui sanctum sanctorum liquide prophetavit. p. 372,21 Cum igitur illa omnia iam facta sint, exigitur ab eis etiam unctus sanctus sanctorum, et quid respondeant non inveniunt. Quomodo autem nobiscum non de Christo, sed tantum de adventu eius disceptarent, nisi bene nossent eum in suis libris prophetatum? Cur a Iohanne quaerunt, utrum ipse sit Christus? Cur ipsi domino dicunt: Quamdiu animam nostram tollis? Si tu es Christus, dic nobis palam! Cur Petrus et Andreas et Philippus dicunt Nathanaheli: Invenimus messiam, quo interpretatur Christus, nisi quia hoc nomen in illa gente per illas litteras et sciebatur et exspectabatur? p. 373,3 Nam nulla alia gens reges et sacerdotes suos christos habuit et vocavit, quorum significativam unctionem cessare fas non fuit, nisi cum ille venisset, qui in eis praenuntiabatur. Sic enim Iudaei noverant illos christos suos, ut tamen unum sperarent, per quem demum liberarentur; sed excaecati occulta iustitia dei, dum solam eius virtutem cogitant, infirmitatem, in qua pro nobis mortuus est, non intellexerunt. Hinc illa verba in libro sapientiae de illis praedicta cognoscimus: Morte turpissima condemnemus illum; erit enim respectus in sermonibus illius; si vere filius dei est, suscipiet illum et liberabit illum de manibus contrariorum. Haec cogitaverunt et erraverunt; excaecavit enim illos malitia illorum. Quod etiam de istis verissime dici potest, qui in tanta multitudine testimoniorum, in tanta dispositione praenuntiatarum rerum, in tanta manifestatione completarum adhuc dicunt scripturis illis Christum non esse prophetatum. p. 373,20 Quod si iterum atque iterum dicant, nos iterum atque iterum possumus documenta proferre adiuvante illo, qui tantam copiam praebuit adversus calumnias erroris humani, ut ea, quae iam commemoravimus, non repetamus.