Demonstratio Evangelica 3 part 1/5

Since the preliminary matters for the demonstration of the Gospel have been sufficiently exercised by me, and the manner of the evangelical teaching of our Saviour has been shown, and the reason has been given on account of which, while embracing the oracles of the Jews, we have declined the manner of life practised according to them; and since, further, it has been established in addition to these things that the prophetic scriptures among them, anticipating beforehand, made mention of the future calling of us that has come to pass through Christ, and that therefore we lay claim to those scriptures as our own, and not as belonging to others: the time now calls us, having entered upon the subject itself, to begin the matters we have promised.

And what were these matters, but those concerning the dispensation of Jesus the Christ of God according to his humanity, and the teachings of the prophets among the Hebrews concerning the theology relating to him, and the predictions concerning his manifestation to mankind -- predictions which we shall presently show, from the clear outcomes, to apply to him alone -- having first, of necessity, considered this point: in what way the prophets received the mention of the Gospel with reference to the Christ.

A witness to what has been declared would be Isaiah, crying out in these very words, in the person of Christ: 'The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for which cause he anointed me; he has sent me to bring good tidings to the poor, to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind' -- which very prophecy our Saviour, having on one occasion read through it in the synagogue before the multitude of the Jews, folded up the book and said, 'Today this scripture is fulfilled in your ears.'

And indeed, beginning from this very point, he brought good tidings to the poor with his own teaching, setting forth first among his beatitudes: 'Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.' Moreover, to those who were troubled by evil spirits, and who had long before been held fast by demons in the manner of captives, he proclaimed beforehand release, calling all of them back to liberty and the loosing of the bonds of wickedness, through the words in which he said: 'Come unto me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.'

And to the blind he granted recovery of sight, bestowing the power of seeing upon those whose bodily eyes were destroyed, and, according to the mind, granting to those who had long ago been blind toward the truth to see the light of true piety. The prophecy just cited establishes, then, that Christ was first to be the author and leader of the evangelical undertaking, while the same prophet foretells that after him his disciples would be the ministers of the same undertaking, saying: 'How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good tidings of good things,' or 'of those who bring good tidings of peace.'

Here he said, with great precision, that the feet of those who bring good tidings of the good things of Christ would be beautiful. For how could they fail to be beautiful, who in a little and short time were to run about the whole inhabited world, and to fill every place with the godly teaching concerning the Saviour of the world? And that they did not employ human words to persuade their hearers, but that it was the power of God that worked together with them in the evangelical preaching, another prophet again proclaims: 'The Lord shall give a word to those who bring good tidings with great power.'

And again Isaiah: 'Get up onto a high mountain, you that bring good tidings to Zion; lift up your voice with strength, you that bring good tidings to Jerusalem; lift it up, be not afraid; say to the cities of Judah, Behold your God! Behold, the Lord comes with strength, and his arm with dominion; behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him; he will tend his flock like a shepherd, and with his arm he will gather the lambs, and will comfort those that are with young.'

What meaning these words bear we shall learn as we proceed on our way according to the evangelical teaching. But at any rate the Gospel has been made manifest, and the very name 'Gospel' has been attested through the voices of the prophets; and you have clear and evident proofs from whom the Gospel shall begin -- namely, from Christ himself -- and by whom it shall be preached -- namely, through his apostles; and moreover by what power it shall prevail -- namely, not by a human power -- which very thing has been established through the words, 'The Lord shall give a word to those who bring good tidings with great power.'

What then remains for us, beyond this, but to take up beforehand a few things out of the many that were prophesied of old among the Hebrews concerning the Christ, so that you may know what the Gospel that was to be preached in later times was foretelling -- together with the wonder of the prophets' foreknowledge of things to come, and the fulfillments of their predictions -- how they are established as having been accomplished in the person of our Saviour and Lord Jesus, the Christ of God?

First among the prophets, Moses proclaims the good tidings that another prophet like himself would arise. For since the legislation given through him belonged to the Jewish nation alone, and to that nation only in the land of Judaea or the regions about it, and not to one dwelling in the most distant parts of a foreign land -- as has been seen through what we have discussed before -- and since it was surely necessary that he who is God not of the Jews only, but also of the nations, should provide to life the things profitable for all the nations unto the knowledge and piety of himself, he fittingly foretells by an oracle that he will raise up out of the Jewish nation another prophet, in no way falling short of the dispensation belonging to him, God himself having spoken in this manner.

'I will raise up for them a prophet from among their brethren, like you, and I will put my word in his mouth, and he shall speak to them according to all that I shall command him. And whatever man will not hearken to his words, whatsoever the prophet shall speak in my name, I will take vengeance on him.'

And Moses himself, expounding the same oracle of God to the people, says similar things: 'The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brethren; to him you shall hearken, according to all that you asked of the Lord your God in Horeb, in the day of the assembly.'

Did, then, the prophets after Moses -- Isaiah, let us say, or Jeremiah, or Ezekiel, or Daniel, or any other of the twelve -- become a lawgiver similar to Moses? By no means. But did any of them accomplish deeds like those of Moses? It cannot be said. Each of them, indeed, from the first to the last, sent back their hearers to Moses, and they made their reproof against the people on account of transgressions of the law of Moses, and exhorted them to nothing else but to cling fast to the things legislated by Moses.

None of these, then, was like him; but Moses cries aloud, definitely, concerning one. Whom, then, does the oracle proclaim will be a prophet like Moses, other than our Saviour and Lord Jesus the Christ alone? But it is necessary to examine in what way this has been said.

Moses was the first leader of the Jewish nation; and finding them devoted to the polytheistic error practised among the Egyptians, he was first to turn them away from it, forbidding idolatry under inexorable penalties. He was also first to proclaim to them the theology concerning the sole sovereignty of God, commanding that they worship only the maker and creator of all things. He was also first to prescribe for them a certain manner of godly life, and has been shown to be the first and only lawgiver of a pious polity for them. But Jesus the Christ likewise, and far more excellently than Moses, was first to guide the rest of the nations in the teaching of true piety, and was first to bring about the overthrow of idolatry throughout the whole inhabited world; and he was first to set before all men the knowledge and worship of the one God who is King over all, and has been shown to be the first introducer and lawgiver of a new life and polity befitting the godly.

And as for the rest -- the matters concerning the origin of the world, and the immortality of the soul, and whatever other philosophical doctrines -- these Moses was first to hand down to the Jewish nation, and these same things, in a manner more befitting God, Jesus the Christ was first to proclaim to the rest of the nations through his disciples. So that Moses is fittingly proclaimed the first and only lawgiver of piety for the Jews, but Jesus the Christ that of all the nations, according to the prophecy that says concerning him: 'Appoint, O Lord, a lawgiver over them; let the nations know that they are men.'

Again, Moses confirmed the piety proclaimed by him through marvelous works and wonder-workings; and likewise Christ, having employed his recorded miracle-workings for the persuasion of those who saw them, established the new teachings of his evangelical instruction.

Again, Moses transferred the Jewish nation from bitter slavery under the Egyptians into freedom; and Jesus the Christ likewise called back into freedom the whole race of mankind from the impious, Egyptian-like idolatry practised under evil demons.

Again, Moses promised a holy land, and in it a life blessed and beloved of God, to those who kept the laws. And likewise Jesus the Christ too -- saying, 'Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth' -- promised to those to whom he made this promise a far better land, one truly holy and beloved of God: not the land in Judaea, for this differs in nothing from the rest of the earth, but the land in heaven that belongs to souls who love God; to them he promised the life proclaimed by him. And setting this forth yet more clearly, he proclaimed the kingdom of heaven to those whom he pronounced blessed.

And you might also find other deeds done by our Saviour with a power greater than that of Moses, yet similar, indeed, to those which Moses himself performed.

For example, as an instance, Moses fasted continuously for forty days, as Scripture testifies, saying: 'And Moses was there before the Lord forty days and forty nights; he ate no bread, and drank no water.'

And likewise also Christ. For it is written: 'And he was led into the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil, and ate nothing in those days.' And again, Moses provided food for the people in the wilderness; for Scripture says, 'Behold, I give you bread from heaven.'

And a little further on: 'And it came to pass, when the dew ceased round about the camp, that, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there was a fine thing, like white coriander seed, like frost upon the earth.' And our Saviour and Lord likewise says to his own disciples: 'Why do you reason among yourselves, O you of little faith, because you have taken no bread? Do you not yet perceive, nor remember, the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets you took up? Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many hampers you took up?'

Again, Moses passed through the midst of the sea and led the people; for Scripture says: 'Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea with a strong south wind the whole day, and made the sea dry, and the water was divided, and the sons of Israel went through the midst of the sea upon the dry ground, and the water was a wall to them on the right and a wall on the left.'

And likewise, and yet more befitting God, Jesus the Christ of God walked upon the sea, and made Peter also to walk upon it. For it is written: 'And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus came to them, walking upon the sea. And when they saw him walking upon the sea, they were troubled.'

And a little further on: 'And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you upon the waters. And he said, Come. And Peter went down from the boat, and walked upon the waters.'

Again, Moses, with a strong south wind, congealed the sea. For Scripture says: 'And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea with a strong south wind'; and it adds: 'and the waves were congealed in the midst of the sea.'

And likewise, and far more excellently, our Saviour rebuked the wind and the sea, and there was a great calm. Again, when Moses came down from the mountain, his face was seen full of glory. For it is written: 'And as Moses himself came down from the mountain, he did not know that the appearance of the skin of his face had been glorified, because he had been speaking with him. And Aaron and all the elders of the sons of Israel saw Moses, and the appearance of the skin of his face was glorified.'

And likewise, and far more remarkably, our Saviour, having led up his own disciples onto a very high mountain, was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his garments became white as the light. Again, Moses cleansed a leper. For it is written: 'And behold, Miriam was leprous, as white as snow.'

And a little further on: 'And Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, O God, I beseech you, heal her.'

And likewise, and with a greater power of authority, when a leper came to the Christ of God, and said, 'If you will, you are able to cleanse me,' he answered, 'I will; be cleansed.' And his leprosy was cleansed. Again, Moses said that the Law was written by the finger of God. For it is written: 'And he gave to Moses, when he had ceased speaking with him on Mount Sinai, the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written by the finger of God.'

And in Exodus the magicians said to Pharaoh: 'This is the finger of God.' And likewise Jesus the Christ of God said to the Pharisees: 'But if I cast out demons by the finger of God...'

In addition to all these, Moses changed the name of the son of Nun to Joshua (in Greek, Jesus), and likewise our Saviour changed the name of Simon to Peter. And again, Moses appointed for the people seventy leaders; for Scripture says: 'Gather to me seventy men from the elders of Israel, and I will take of the spirit that is upon you and put it upon them'; and he gathered seventy men. And likewise our Saviour also appointed seventy of his own disciples, and sent them two by two before his face. And again, Moses sent out twelve men to spy out the land; and likewise, and far more excellently, our Saviour sent out twelve apostles to visit all the nations. Again, Moses legislates, saying: 'You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not swear falsely.'

But our Saviour, intensifying the law, forbids not only murder, but also anger; instead of not committing adultery, he counsels not even to look upon a woman with unchaste desire; and instead of not stealing, he commands to give up one's own possessions to those in need. And going beyond even the prohibition of false swearing, he legislates that one should not even swear at all.

And why should I need to prolong the discourse in demonstration of the fact that Moses and Jesus our Saviour and Lord did things similar and close to one another, when it is open to anyone who wishes to gather these things together at his leisure? Since indeed they say that no one knew the death of Moses, nor his burial, just as no one knew the change of our Saviour, after his resurrection, into his divinity.

If, then, through all these so many instances, no other but only our Saviour has been shown to have done things similar to those of Moses, one must therefore look to him alone, and to no other, in referring the prophecy given through Moses, by which God foretold that he would present one like unto him, saying: 'I will raise up for them a prophet from among their brethren, like you, and I will put my word in his mouth, and he shall speak to them according to all that I shall command him. And whatever man will not hearken to his words, whatsoever the prophet shall speak in my name, I will take vengeance on him.'

And Moses himself, expounding the voice of God to the people, said: 'The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet of your brethren; to him you shall hearken, according to all that you asked of the Lord your God in Horeb, in the day of the assembly.'

And that none of the prophets after Moses, before our Saviour, has arisen who is like Moses, the ancient Scripture teaches clearly, saying: 'And there has not arisen again a prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, in all the signs and wonders.'

It has, then, been shown that the divine Spirit made its pronouncement through Moses concerning our Saviour, since it is he alone, and no other, who, having become like Moses, has been established in accordance with the very words of Moses himself. But consider also another written prophecy.

For since countless multitudes among all the nations call our Saviour and Lord -- who became man according to the flesh from the seed of Israel -- 'Lord' in the proper sense, acknowledging him as Lord on account of his divine power, this too Moses, perceiving beforehand by the divine Spirit, proclaimed through his own writing in this manner: 'A man shall come forth from his seed' -- he speaks of Israel -- 'and he shall rule over nations, and his kingdom shall be exalted.'

If, then, none of the rulers and kings of the circumcision has ever become lord of many nations -- for no history shows this -- while truth cries out and proclaims concerning our Saviour alone that countless multitudes from all the nations confess him as Lord, and this not merely with the lips, but with the most genuine disposition, what then could stand in the way of declaring that he is the one prophesied? And that Moses does not foretell these things without bound, nor overshadow his prediction with an unlimited and unmeasured span of time, but describes the outcome of what is prophesied with great precision, within fixed times, hear also what he proclaims concerning this: 'A ruler shall not fail from Judah, nor a leader from his loins, until he comes for whom it is reserved, and he shall be the expectation of the nations.'

By which words he declares that leaders and rulers, one after another and in succession, would not cease from the Jewish nation until the coming of the one expected, but that the one prophesied would be present when the rulers among them had ceased.

Now by 'Judah' he does not here name the tribe, but since, in the times afterward, by a certain designation, the whole Jewish nation came to be styled after the royal tribe of Judah, so that even to this day they are named Jews, he most marvelously and prophetically named the whole nation 'Judah,' just as we too call them Jews.

He then says that rulers and leaders will not fail from their nation before the one prophesied is present; and that when he has appeared, the Jewish rule shall at once be dissolved, and that he shall no longer be the expectation of the Jews, but of the nations. And this you could not apply to any of the prophets, but only to our Saviour and Lord.

For at the very time when he himself came among men, the kingdom of the Jews had already been overthrown; and the ruler descended by succession from their ancestors, and the leader according to their own laws, had immediately ceased, Augustus then having become the first sole ruler of the Romans, and Herod, from foreign nations, having been established as their king.

And while these had ceased, he was manifested, according to the divine prediction, as the expectation of the nations throughout the whole inhabited world, so that even now all those from every nation who have believed on him place upon him the hope of their expectation with respect to God.

So much, then, does Moses proclaim as good tidings to all of us concerning the Christ; and akin to him, Isaiah too, specifically concerning a certain one who was to arise from the seed and succession of David the king, foretells the following: 'There shall come forth a rod out of the root of Jesse, and out of his root a flower shall come up, and the Spirit of God shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding' -- and so forth.

Then, going on further, he foretells in prophetic manner the change to gentleness and mildness that would come about, through the teaching of Christ, among the foreign nations -- both barbarians and Greeks -- even among the most savage and beast-like of men. For he says: 'And the wolf shall lie down together with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down together with the kid, and the calf and the bull and the lion together.'

And things similar to these, which he also explains and makes clear immediately afterward, saying: 'And he that arises to rule the nations shall be; on him shall the nations hope.'

For clearly the irrational beasts and the wild animals previously mentioned are none other than the nations, on account of their beast-like manner of life; and he says that he who arises out of the seed of Jesse -- from whom indeed our Saviour and Lord derives his genealogy -- shall rule these nations; upon him the nations that believe in him still hope even now, in agreement with the prediction: 'And he that arises to rule the nations shall be; on him shall the nations hope.'

Set this, then, alongside the words found in Moses, distinguishing them, and fit 'he that arises to rule the nations shall be' to 'a man shall come forth from his seed, and he shall rule over many nations'; and 'on him shall the nations hope' to 'and he himself shall be the expectation of the nations.'

For what difference is there between saying 'on him shall the nations hope' and 'he himself shall be the expectation of the nations'? And again, the same Isaiah prophesies these things concerning the Christ: 'Behold my servant, whom I have chosen, my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased; he shall bring forth judgment to the nations.' And he adds: 'Until he sets judgment on the earth, and in his name shall the nations hope.'

Already for the second time in these words the prophet sets down that the nations will hope in the Christ, having said above, 'on him shall the nations hope,' and here again, 'and in his name shall the nations hope.' And it has also been said concerning David that from the fruit of his womb someone shall arise, concerning whom it goes on to say: 'He himself shall call upon me, Thou art my Father; and I will make him my firstborn.'

And again it is said concerning this one: 'And he shall have dominion from sea to sea, and from the rivers to the ends of the inhabited world.' And again: 'All the nations shall serve him,' and 'In you shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed.' And again, a certain place set apart for the birth of the one prophesied is proclaimed by Micah, who says: 'And you, Bethlehem, house of Ephrathah, are few in number to be among the thousands of Judah; out of you shall one come forth to me who shall be a leader, who shall shepherd my people Israel; and his goings forth are from the beginning, from the days of eternity.'

And it is acknowledged by all that Jesus the Christ was born in Bethlehem, so that even a cave is pointed out there by the local inhabitants to those who come from foreign lands for the sight of it.

And this place, then, where he was to be born, had been foretold beforehand; but the wonder of his birth Isaiah sets forth, at times through riddles, and at times also more plainly. Through riddles, when he says: 'Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? We declared before him, as a child, as a root in thirsty ground.'

In place of which Aquila rendered it thus: 'and he shall be proclaimed as one nursed before his face, and as a root out of impassable ground.' But Theodotion: 'and he shall come up, nursing before him, and as a root in thirsty ground.'

For by these words the prophet, having made mention of the arm of the Lord, which was the Word of God, says: 'Before him, we declared him as a child sucking and being nursed, and as a root out of impassable ground.' Now the child that is nursed and sucks plainly signifies the birth of Christ, while the impassable and thirsty ground signifies the virgin who bore him, upon whom no man has trodden; from whom, though she was impassable, the blessed root came forth, and the nursed and sucking child.

But these things he hinted at in a veiled manner; the same prophet explains the sense more plainly when he says: 'Behold, the virgin shall conceive in the womb, and shall bear a son, and they shall call his name God-with-us.' For this is what 'Emmanuel' means.

Such things concerning the birth of Christ among men were rehearsed long ago beforehand among the Hebrews. Do they then depict the one prophesied as some illustrious potentate, or tyrant, or some other of those who are powerful in great things in this life? It is not possible to say so, since no such person appeared.

But such as he appeared to be in this life, such they also foretold he would be, falling short of the truth in nothing. Isaiah, then, having said, 'We have declared him before him, a child, as a root in thirsty ground,' next joins to it, saying: 'He has no form nor glory, and we saw him, and he had no form nor comeliness. And his form was without honour, and diminished beyond the sons of men. A man under plague, and knowing how to bear sickness, he was despised, and was not esteemed.'

What then remains after this? For if they foretold his tribe and lineage, and the manner of his birth, and the marvel of the virgin, and the manner of his life, it followed next that they should not pass over his death in silence either. What then does Isaiah declare concerning this too?

'A man,' he says, 'under plague, and knowing how to bear sickness, he was despised and not esteemed. This one bears our sins, and is in anguish on our behalf. And we accounted him to be in trouble, and in plague, and in affliction; but he was wounded because of our sins, and has been made infirm because of our transgressions. The chastisement of our peace was upon him; by his bruise we were healed.'

All we like sheep went astray, and the Lord gave him up for our sins; and he, because of his affliction, opens not his mouth. As a sheep he was led to slaughter, and as a lamb is silent before its shearer, so he opens not his mouth. Who shall declare his generation? For his life is taken up from the earth. And so on.

By these words he signifies that Christ, being outside of all transgression, will take upon himself the sins committed on behalf of men. Therefore he will also suffer the things of those who have sinned, and will be in anguish on our behalf, but not on his own.

And if he will also be wounded, being assailed by blasphemous words, this too will be the work of our sins; since he has also been made infirm because of our sins, so that we, through his having taken up our transgressions and the wounds of our wickedness, might be healed by his bruise. Such, then, were the causes of what the sinless one would suffer at the hands of men. And the wondrous prophet, shrinking from nothing, plainly convicts the Jews who contrived his death, and, expressly lamenting this very thing, says: 'Because of the transgressions of my people he was led to death.'

Then, since immediately, and not long after their audacity against Christ, utter destruction overtook them, besieged by the Romans, he, not overlooking this either, adds: 'And I will give the wicked in place of his burial, and the rich in place of his death.'

It would have sufficed, then, to close the prophecy at this point, if he had foreseen that nothing more would happen after Christ's death; but since he was about, very shortly after his death or burial, to return and come to life again, he adds these further words concerning him also, going on to say: 'And the Lord wills to cleanse him of his plague. If you offer for sin, your soul shall see a long-lived seed. And the Lord wills to remove him from the anguish of his soul, to show him light.'

Having said above, 'a man under plague, and knowing how to bear sickness,' now, after his death and burial, 'the Lord,' he says, 'wills to cleanse him of his plague.' And how shall this be? 'If you give,' he says, 'for sin, your soul shall see a long-lived seed.'