Traduction Masquer
An Answer to the Jews

Chapter VI.--Of the Abolition and the Abolisher of the Old Law.

Therefore, since it is manifest that a sabbath temporal was shown, and a sabbath eternal foretold; a circumcision carnal foretold, and a circumcision spiritual pre-indicated; a law temporal and a law eternal formally declared; sacrifices carnal and sacrifices spiritual foreshown; it follows that, after all these precepts had been given carnally, in time preceding, to the people Israel, there was to supervene a time whereat the precepts of the ancient Law and of the old ceremonies would cease, and the promise ¹ of the new law, and the recognition of spiritual sacrifices, and the promise of the New Testament, supervene; ² while the light from on high would beam upon us who were sitting in darkness, and were being detained in the shadow of death. ³ And so there is incumbent on us a necessity ⁴ binding us, since we have premised that a new law was predicted by the prophets, and that not such as had been already given to their fathers at the time when He led them forth from the land of Egypt, ⁵ to show and prove, on the one hand, that that old Law has ceased, and on the other, that the promised new law is now in operation.

And, indeed, first we must inquire whether there be expected a giver of the new law, and an heir of the new testament, and a priest of the new sacrifices, and a purger of the new circumcision, and an observer of the eternal sabbath, to suppress the old law, and institute the new testament, and offer the new sacrifices, and repress the ancient ceremonies, and suppress ⁶ the old circumcision together with its own sabbath, ⁷ and announce the new kingdom which is not corruptible. Inquire, I say, we must, whether this giver of the new law, observer of the spiritual sabbath, priest of the eternal sacrifices, eternal ruler of the eternal kingdom, be come or no: that, if he is already come, service may have to be rendered him; if he is not yet come, he may have to be awaited, until by his advent it be manifest that the old Law's precepts are suppressed, and that the beginnings of the new law ought to arise. And, primarily, we must lay it down that the ancient Law and the prophets could not have ceased, unless He were come who was constantly announced, through the same Law and through the same prophets, as to come.

Edition Masquer
Adversus Iudaeos

VI.

[1] Igitur cum manifestum sit et sabbatum temporale ostensum et sabbatum aeternum praedicatum, circumcisionem quoque carnalem praedictam et circumcisionem spiritalem praeindicatam, legem quoque temporalem et legem aeternalem denuntiatam, sacrificia carnalia et sacrificia spiritalia praeostensa, sequitur ut praecedenti tempore datis omnibus istis praeceptis carnaliter populo Israeli superveniret tempus, quo legis antiquae et caeremoniarum veterutn praecepta cessarent et novae legis promissio et spiritalium sacrificiorum agnitio et novi testamenti pollicitatio superveniret fulgente nobis lumine ex alto qui sedebamus in tenebris et inumbra mortis detinebamur. [2] Itaque necessitas nobis incumbit ut, quoniam praedicatam novam legem a prophetis praediximus et non talem, qualis iam data esset patribus eorum eo tempore quo eos de terra Aegypti produxit, ostendere et probare debeamus tam illam legem veterem cessasse quam legem novam promissam nunc operari: et quidem primum quaerendum, an expectetur novae legis lator et novi testamenti heres et novorum sacrificiorum sacerdos et novae circumcisionis purgator et aeterni sabbati cultor, qui legem veterem compescat et novum testamentum statuat et nova sacrificia offerat et caeremonias antiquas reprimat et circumcisionem veterem cum suo sabbato compescat et novum regnum quod non corrumpatur adnuntiet. [3] Nam etiam novae legislator sabbati spiritalis cultor sacrifiorum aeternorum antistes regni aeterni dominator quaerendum an venerit an necne, ut si iam venit serviendum sit illi, si necdum venit sustinendus sit, dummodo manifestum sit adventu eius comprimi legis veteris praecepta et oriri debere novae legis exordia. [4] Et in primis definiendum est non potuisse cessare legem antiquam et prophetas, nisi venisset is qui per eandem legem et per eosdem prophetas venturus adnuntiabatur.