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Reply to Faustus the Manichaean

7.

Let us suppose, then, a conversation with a heathen inquirer, in which Faustus described us as making a poor appearance, though his own appearance was much more deplorable. If we say to the heathen, Believe in Christ, for He is God, and, on his asking for evidence, produce the authority of the prophets, if he says that he does not believe the prophets, because they are Hebrew and he is a Gentile, we can prove the truth of the prophets from the actual fulfillment of their prophecies. He could scarcely be ignorant of the persecutions suffered by the early Christians from the kings of this world; or if he was ignorant, he could be informed from history and the records of imperial laws. But this is what we find foretold long ago by the prophet, saying, "Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the princes take counsel together against the Lord, and against His Christ." The rest of the Psalm shows that this is not said of David. For what follows might convince the most stubborn unbeliever: "The Lord said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten Thee. Ask of me, and I will give Thee the heathen for Thine inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Thy possession." ¹ This never happened to the Jews, whose king, David was, but is now plainly fulfilled in the subjection of all nations to the name of Christ. This and many similar prophecies, which it would take too long to quote, would surely impress the mind of the inquirer. He would see these very kings of the earth now happily subdued by Christ, and all nations serving Him; and he would hear the words of the Psalm in which this was so long before predicted: "All the kings of the earth shall bow down to Him; all nations shall serve Him." ² And if he were to read the whole of that Psalm, which is figuratively applied to Solomon, he would find that Christ is the true King of peace, for Solomon means peaceful; and he would find many things in the Psalm applicable to Christ, which have no reference at all to the literal King Solomon. Then there is that other Psalm where God is spoken of as anointed by God, the very word anointed pointing to Christ, showing that Christ is God, for God is represented as being anointed. ³ In reading what is said in this Psalm of Christ and of the Church, he would find that what is there foretold is fulfilled in the present state of the world. He would see the idols of the nations perishing from off the earth, and he would find that this is predicted by the prophets, as in Jeremiah, "Then shall ye say unto them, The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth shall perish from the earth, and from under heaven;" ⁴ and again, "O Lord, my strength, and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of affliction, the Gentiles shall come unto Thee from the ends of the earth, and shall say, Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no profit. Shall a man make gods unto himself, and they are no gods? Therefore, behold, I will at that time cause them to know, I will cause them to know mine hand and my might; and they shall know that I am the Lord." ⁵ Hearing these prophecies, and seeing their actual fulfillment, I need not say that he would be affected; for we know by experience how the hearts of believers are confirmed by seeing ancient predictions now receiving their accomplishment.

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Contra Faustum Manichaeum libri triginta tres

7.

Proinde constituite nobis aliquem catechizandum gentilem, in quo Faustus defecisse nos risit, ubi non ridendus, sed plangendus ipse defecit. Si enim dixerimus homini gentili: Crede Christo, quia deus est, et responderit: Unde credo? prolataque auctoritate prophetarum eis se non credere dixerit, quod illi Hebraei sint, ipse paganus, ostendimus fidem prophetarum ex his, quae ventura cecinerunt et venisse cernuntur. p. 385,4 Credo enim, quod eum non lateret, quantas a regibus huius saeculi persecutiones prius pertulerit christiana religio; aut si lateret, per ipsam historiam gentium et imperiales leges litteris memoriaeque mandatas ei facile probaretur. Quod cum tanto ante praedictum ex propheta cognosceret dicente: Ut quid fremuerunt gentes et populi meditati sunt inania? Astiterunt reges terrae et principes convenerunt in unum adversus dominum et adversum christum eius, quae non de ipso David fuisse dicta in eodem ipso psalmo facile apparet; ibi enim dicitur etiam illud, quod homines quamlibet pertinacissimos ipsa rerum manifestatione confundit: Dominus dixit ad me: filius meus es tu, ego hodie genui te; postula a me et dabo tibi gentes hereditatem tuam et possessionem tuam terminos terrae: p. 385,17 quod genti Iudaeorum, in qua regnavit David, non esse concessum, Christi autem nomine longe lateque omnes gentes occupante nemo dubitat esse completum – credo moveretur, cum hinc et alia multa ex prophetis audiret, quae nunc persequi longum est: Videret etiam ipsos reges terrae Christi imperio iam salubriter subiugatos omnesque gentes eidem servientes et legeretur ei de psalmo tanto ante praedictum: Adorabunt eum omnes reges terrae, omnes gentes servient ei, totumque psalmum ipsum, qui figurate tamquam in Salomonem dicitur, si legere vellet, inveniret Christum vere regem pacificum – hoc enim Salomonis nomen interpretatur – in quo cognosceret completa omnia, quae ibi dicuntur, longe remotissima ab illo homine Salomone rege Israhel. Illum itidem psalmum, ubi deus unctus a deo dicitur et utique Christus ipsa unctione declaratur idemque Christus deus apertissime ostenditur, cum deus unctus insinuatur, si considerare vellet, quae ibi de Christo, quae de ipsa ecclesia dicta sunt, [quae] ibi quidem praedicta legeret, in orbe autem terrarum impleta conspiceret. p. 386,9 Videret quoque ipsa simulacra gentium per Christi nomen sic perire de orbe terrarum idque ipsum a prophetis praedictum esse disceret, ‹cum› audiret Hieremiam dicentem: Sic dicetis illis: dii, qui caelum et terram non fecerunt, pereant a terra et de sub caelo, item alio loco cum eundem prophetam dicentem audiret: Domine, fortitudo mea et adiutorium meum et refugium meum in die malorum, ad te gentes venient ab extremo terrae et dicent: quam falsa possederunt patres nostri simulacra, et non est in eis utilitas! Sic faciet homo deos et ipsi non sunt dii. Propterea ecce ego ostendam illis in tempore illo; manum meam ostendam illis et scient virtutem meam, quoniam ego dominus. p. 386,21 Haec audiens de scriptura prophetica et cernens in universa terra quid dicam, quemadmodum moveretur ad fidem, quando et hoc rebus ipsis probamus, cum per prophetiam ante tempora conscriptam et his temporibus impletam corda fidelium sic firmari cognoscimus?