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Reply to Faustus the Manichaean

8.

Faustus calls upon us to believe him, and says, The truth is, if you will believe it, that the Hebrews were in a mistake regarding both the death of Jesus and the immortality of Elias. And a little after he adds, As from the outset of His taking the likeness of man He underwent in appearance all the experiences of humanity, it was quite consistent that He should seal the dispensation by appearing to die. How can this infamous liar, who declares that Christ feigned death, expect to be believed? Did Christ utter falsehood when He said, "It behoves the Son of man to be killed, and to rise the third day?" ¹ And do you tell us to believe what you say, as if you utter no falsehoods? In that case, Peter was more truthful than Christ when he said to Him, "Be it far from Thee, Lord; this shall not be unto Thee;" for which it was said to him, "Get thee behind me, Satan." ² This rebuke was not lost upon Peter, for, after his correction and full preparation, he preached even to his own death the truth of the death of Christ. But if Peter deserved to be called Satan for thinking that Christ would not die, what should you be called, when you not only deny that Christ died, but assert that He feigned death? You give, as a reason for Christ's appearing to die, that He underwent in appearance all the experiences of humanity. But that He feigned all the experiences of humanity is only your opinion in opposition to the Gospel. In reality, when the evangelist says that Jesus slept, ³ that He was hungry, ⁴ that He was thirsty, ⁵ that He was sorrowful, ⁶ or glad, and so on,--these things are all true in the senseof not being feigned, but actual experiences; only that they were undergone, not from a mere natural necessity, but in the exercise of a controlling will, and of divine power. In the case of a man, anger, sorrow, sleeping, being hungry and thirsty, are often involuntary; in Christ they were acts of His own will. So also men are born without any act of their own will, and suffer against their will; while Christ was born and suffered by His own will. Still, the things are true; and the accurate narrative of them is intended to instruct whoever believes in Christ's gospel in the truth, not to delude him with falsehoods.

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Contra Faustum Manichaeum libri triginta tres

8.

Tamen Faustus sibi ut credamus, hortatur dicens: Et si mihi vera dicenti vis credere, uterque eorum apud Hebraeos falsam traxit opinionem, Iesus de morte et de immortalitate Helias, cum paulo post dicat: ut enim ab initio sumpta hominis similitudine omnes humanae condicionis simulavit affectus, sic ab re non erat, si in fine quoque consignandae oeconomiae gratia fuisset visus et mori. Homo pessime ac fallacissime, quomodo tibi ego credam quasi vera dicenti, cum Christum dicas mortem potuisse mentiri? Ergo ille mentiebatur, quando dicebat: Oportet filium hominis occidi et tertia die resurgere, et tu non mentiris et dicis, ut tibi vera dicenti credamus? Veracior ergo Petrus, quando ei dixit: Absit, domine, non fiet istud! et unde meruit audire: Redi retro, satanas! p. 737,2 Et ille quidem non hoc infructuose audivit, qui eam postea veritatem mortis Christi usque ad suam mortem correctus perfectusque praedicavit. Verum si ille, quia tantum putavit Christum non moriturum, audire meruit: Satanas, tu quid mereris audire, qui non solum negas mortuum, sed etiam dicis mortem fuisse mentitum? Sed ideo inquit mortem quoque simulasse credendus est, quia omnes humanae condicionis simulavit affectus. Quis enim tibi hoc contra evangelium concessurus est, quod omnes humanae condicionis simulavit affectus ? Prorsus si dixit evangelista: Dormivit Iesus, si dixit: Esurivit, sitivit, contristatus est, exhilaratus est et si quid aliud, omnia vera sunt; quae ita narrata sunt, ut non eum simulasse, sed plane fecisse vel exhibuisse conscripta sint sane non necessitate condicionis, sed magisterii voluntate et divina etiam potestate. p. 737,17 Nam homo plerumque etsi nolit, irascitur, etsi nolit, contristatur, etsi nolit, dormit, etsi nolit, esurit ac sitit; ille autem omnia ista, quia voluit. Sic etiam nascuntur homines atque patiuntur, non quia volunt nec quod volunt, ille autem etiam ista, quia voluit. Tamen vera haec et de illo fideliter veraciterque conscripta sunt, ut quisquis evangelio eius crediderit, veritate instruatur, non mendaciis illudatur.