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Gegen die Heiden (BKV)
Nr. 65
O des undankbaren, unfrommen Geschlechtes! das sich dem eigenen Verderben durch unglaublichen Starrsinn zugeführet. Wäre irgend ein Arzt aus entfernten, nie euch bekannten Gegenden angelangt, solch ein Mittel bietend, daß alle Arten Krankheiten und Uebel von euern Körpern entfernte, wärt ihr nicht Alle um die Wette laufend herbeigekommen, um mit allen möglichen Schmeicheleien und Ehrenbezeugungen den Begünstigten in die heimatlichen Mauern aufzunehmen? wünschend, schlechterdings zuverläßig, nicht bloß wahrhaftig möge jenes Heilmittel seyn, welches euch bis zur äußersten Gränze des Alters, von so unzähligen Leibesplagen befreit zu seyn verheißt? Und wäre auch die Sache unzuverläßig, ihr würdet dennoch vertrauen und nicht zaudern, den unbekannten Trank zu nehmen, da die Hoffnung des Heiles verkündet, euch die Liebe der Unverletzbarkeit entzündet hat. Christus, der Verkündiger der allergrößten Wohlfahrt, strahlte hervor und erschien, ein günstiges Zeichen, den Gläubigen heilsame Botschaft bringend. Welch eine Grausamkeit und Unmenschlichkeit, ja um der Wahrheit gemäßer zu sprechen, welch ein anmaßender Stolz, den Verkündiger und Ueberbringer solcher Gabe nicht sowohl mit Schmähworten zu zerreißen, sondern vielmehr ihn mit heftigem Kampfe und Anwendung aller Waffen zu verfolgen? Nicht gefallen seine Reden und mit Aergerniß werden sie von euch vernommen? Für Schäkerei und Schwärmerei nehmt ihr sie hin. Spricht Er thörichtes Zeug und verheißt alberne Gaben? Verlacht Ihn, wie die weisen Männer euch, und überlaßt demselben in seiner Irrthümer Albernheit sich umherzutreiben. Was ist das für eine Wildheit um oft Gesagtes zu wiederholen, welch S. 55 eine Martergier, dem, der an dir nichts verschuldet, unversöhnlichen Krieg zu künden? dem die Eingeweide zerfleischen wollen, bietet sich die Gelegenheit, der auf keine Weise irgend Einem irgend ein Uebel angethan, sondern vielmehr gleichförmig gütig den Feinden selbst sagte, welches Heil er ihnen von dem höchsten Gott herabgebracht; was nöthig zu thun, daß sie dem Verderben entfliehend die unerkannte Unsterblichkeit erlangen möchten? Und da der Sache Neuheit, wie die unerhörte Verheißung der Hörenden Verstand verwirrte, den Glauben zur Unentschlossenheit trieb, so gestattete der Herr aller Macht und selbst des Todes Tilger seinen Menschen zu tödten, damit sie aus Den nachfolgenden Dingen erkannten, ihre Hoffnung, welche sie schon lange wegen dem Seelenheil erhalten hatten, sey gesichert, und die Todesgefahr könne auf keine andere Weise vermieden werden.
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The Seven Books of Arnobius Against the Heathen
65.
Oh ungrateful and impious age, prepared 1 for its own destruction by its extraordinary obstinacy! If there had come to you a physician from lands far distant and unknown to you before, offering some medicine to keep off from you altogether every kind of disease and sickness, would you not all eagerly hasten to him? Would you not with every kind of flattery and honour receive him into your houses, and treat him kindly? Would you not wish that that kind of medicine should be quite sure, and should be genuine, which promised that even to the utmost limits of life you should be free from such countless bodily distresses? And though it were a doubtful matter, you would yet entrust yourselves to him; nor would you hesitate to drink the unknown draught, indited by the hope of health set before you and by the love of safety. 2 Christ shone out and appeared to tell us news of the utmost importance, bringing an omen of prosperity, and a message of safety to those who believe. What, I pray you, means 3 this cruelty, what such barbarity, nay rather, to speak more truly, scornful 4 pride, not only to harass the messenger and bearer of so great a gift with taunting words; but even to assail Him with fierce hostility, and with all the weapons which can be showered upon Him, and with all modes of destruction? Are His words displeasing, and are you offended when you hear them? Count them as but a soothsayer's empty tales. Does He speak very stupidly, and promise foolish gifts? Laugh with scorn as wise men, and leave Him in His folly 5 to be tossed about among His errors. What means this fierceness, to repeat what has been said more than once; what a passion, so murderous? to declare implacable hostility towards one who has done nothing to deserve it at your hands; to wish, if it were allowed you, to tear Him limb from limb, who not only did no man any harm, but with uniform kindness 6 told His enemies what salvation was being brought to them from God Supreme, what must be done that they might escape destruction and obtain an immortality which they knew not of? And when the strange and unheard-of things which were held out staggered the minds of those who heard Him, and made them hesitate to believe, though master of every power and destroyer of death itself He suffered His human form to be slain, that from the result 7 they might know that the hopes were safe which they had long entertained about the soul's salvation, and that in no other way could they avoid the danger of death.
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So Ursinus suggested in the margin, followed by LB. and Orelli, reading in privatam perniciem p-a-r-atum for the ms. p-r-iv-atum, which is clearly derived from the preceding privatam, but is, though unintelligible also, retained in the two Roman edd. The conclusion of the sentence is, literally, "obstinacy of spirit." ↩
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In the original, spe salutis proposita atque amore incolumitatis. ↩
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Lit., "is"--est. ↩
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So all the edd., reading fastidi-os-um supercilium, which Crusius says the ms. reads with os omitted, i.e., "pride, scorn." ↩
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So the edd., reading fatuita-tem, for the ms. fatuita-n-tem, which may, however, point to a verb not found elsewhere. ↩
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i.e., to friends and foes alike. The ms. reads aequaliter benignus hostibus dicere, which is retained by Orelli, supporting an ellipsis of fuerit, i.e., "He was kind to say," which might be received; but it is more natural to suppose that -t has dropped off, and read diceret as above, with the two Roman editions and LB. Gelenius, followed by Ursinus, emended omnibus docuerit--"with uniform kindness taught to all." It may be well to give here an instance of the very insufficient grounds on which supposed references to Scripture are sometimes based. Orelli considers that Arnobius here refers (videtur respexisse, he says) to Col. i. 21, 22, "You, that were sometimes alienated and enemies in mind by wicked works, yet now hath He reconciled in the body of His flesh through death," to which, though the words which follow might indeed be thought to have a very distant resemblance, they can in no way be shown to refer. ↩
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i.e., from His resurrection, which showed that death's power was broken by Him. ↩