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for the sake of the law, he says, and of the letters contained in the law. If, then, Christ is shown to be the one who gave that law, is it not evident that by suffering for the sake of the law, they displayed all that endurance for the sake of the lawgiver? Come, then, let us demonstrate this today, that Christ is the one who gave the law. Who, then, says these things? The one who clearly understands these things, both the old and the new, Paul, the teacher of the world; for in writing to the Corinthians, he says something like this: But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, meaning the manna, and all drank the same spiritual drink, meaning the water from the rock. Then, showing that it was Christ who performed these wonders, he added: For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. And reasonably so; for it was not the nature of the rock that sent forth the water and those rivers, but the power of Christ, striking the stone, caused the springs to gush forth. For this reason he also called it a spiritual rock, and said that it followed; but a physical rock does not follow, but is fixed in one place; but the power that is present everywhere and works all wonders, that power also broke open the rock. But if the Jew will not accept these words, come, let us take him with his own weapons, arguing with him not from Paul and Peter and John, but from the prophets, so that he may learn that the events are on his side, but the meanings are on ours. 3. Which of the prophets, then, says these things, that he himself gave the Old Covenant? Jeremiah, who was sanctified from the womb, who shone in his youth. Where and when? Hear their words, and be clearly instructed from what is said. What, then, are the words? Behold, the days 63.527 are coming, says the Lord. From the very beginning he rouses the hearer, and awakens the minds of those who listen, showing that the words are not his own, but of the God who sent him. Behold, the days are coming. Then he shows that he is speaking to us about future events. How then, if he is speaking about future events, does he say that he himself gave the Old one? Wait and do not be disturbed, and then you will see clearly the brightness of the truth. For when these things were said, the law had been given and transgressed, but the New had not yet been. Having clearly stored these things in your minds, therefore, receive the solution to what many find perplexing. Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, indicating the present time, and I will make a new covenant with you, not according to the covenant which I made with your fathers. I ask the Jew, I ask the weak brother, who gave the new covenant? Everyone will surely say, Christ. Therefore, He also gave the old one; for the one who said, I will make a new covenant, not according to the covenant which I made, showed that he himself also made that one; therefore, there is one lawgiver for both covenants. And when did he make the old one, tell me? In the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt. See how he showed both the ease of the exodus, and his own tender affection, and the security of the passage then, and that he himself performed all the wonders in Egypt. For by saying, when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, he indicated all the wonders; for that exodus happened through those extraordinary signs. And they did not continue in my covenant, and I disregarded them, says the Lord. That there is, therefore, one lawgiver for the new and the old covenants is clear from this. But here, if anyone has accurately understood what was said, he knows that not of some ordinary difficulty

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νόμου, φησὶν, ἕνεκεν, καὶ τῶν ἐν τῷ νόμῳ κειμένων γραμμάτων. Ἂν τοίνυν φανῇ Χριστὸς ὁ τὸν νόμον ἐκεῖνον δεδωκὼς, οὐκ εὔδηλον ὅτι ὑπὲρ τοῦ νόμου παθόντες, ὑπὲρ τοῦ νομοθέτου τὴν καρτερίαν ἐπεδείξαντο πᾶσαν ἐκείνην; Φέρε δὴ οὖν τοῦτο ἀποδείξωμεν σήμερον, ὅτι Χριστός ἐστιν ὁ τὸν νόμον δεδωκώς. Τίς οὖν ταῦτά φησιν; Ὁ ταῦτα σαφῶς ἐπιστάμενος, τά τε παλαιὰ καὶ τὰ νέα, Παῦλος, ὁ τῆς οἰκουμένης διδάσκαλος· Κορινθίοις γὰρ ἐπιστέλλων, οὕτω πώς φησιν· Οὐ θέλω δὲ ὑμᾶς ἀγνοεῖν, ἀδελφοὶ, ὅτι οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν πάντες ὑπὸ τὴν νεφέλην ἦσαν, καὶ πάντες διὰ τῆς θαλάσσης διῆλθον, καὶ πάντες εἰς τὸν Μωϋσῆν ἐβαπτίσαντο ἐν τῇ νεφέλῃ καὶ ἐν τῇ θαλάττῃ, καὶ πάντες τὸ αὐτὸ βρῶμα πνευματικὸν ἔφαγον, τὸ μάννα λέγων, καὶ πάντες τὸ αὐτὸ πόμα πνευματικὸν ἔπιον, τὸ ὕδωρ λέγων τὸ ἀπὸ τῆς πέτρας. Εἶτα δεικνὺς ὅτι ὁ Χριστὸς ταῦτα ἐποίει τὰ θαύματα, ἐπήγαγεν· Ἔπινον γὰρ ἐκ πνευματικῆς ἀκολουθούσης πέτρας· ἡ δὲ πέτρα ἦν ὁ Χριστός. Καὶ εἰκότως· οὐ γὰρ ἡ φύσις τῆς πέτρας ἠφίει τὸ ὕδωρ καὶ τοὺς ποταμοὺς ἐκείνους, ἀλλ' ἡ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐνέργεια τύπτουσα τὸν λίθον, ἀναδίδοσθαι τὰς πηγὰς παρεσκεύαζε. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ πνευματικὴν πέτραν ἐκάλεσε, καὶ ἀκολουθεῖν ἔφη· ἡ δὲ αἰσθητὴ οὐκ ἀκολουθεῖ, ἀλλ' ἐν ἑνὶ ἵδρυται χωρίῳ· ἀλλ' ἡ πανταχοῦ παροῦσα δύναμις καὶ πάντα θαυματουργοῦσα, ἐκείνη καὶ τὴν πέτραν ἀνέῤῥηξεν. Εἰ δὲ οὐκ ἀνέχοιτο τῶν ῥημάτων τούτων ὁ Ἰουδαῖος, φέρε δὴ τοῖς οἰκείοις αὐτὸν ὅπλοις ἕλωμεν, οὐδὲν ἀπὸ Παύλου καὶ Πέτρου καὶ Ἰωάννου, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τῶν προφητῶν αὐτῷ διαλεγόμενοι, ἵνα μάθῃ ὅτι τὰ πράγματα παρ' αὐτῷ, τὰ δὲ νοήματα παρ' ἡμῖν. γʹ. Τίς οὖν τῶν προφητῶν ταῦτά φησιν, ὅτι τὴν Παλαιὰν αὐτὸς ἔδωκε ∆ιαθήκην; Ὁ ἐκ κοιλίας ἁγιασθεὶς Ἱερεμίας, ὁ ἐν νεότητι λάμψας. Ποῦ καὶ πότε; Ἄκουε τῶν ῥημάτων αὐτῶν, καὶ παιδεύου σαφῶς ἐκ τῶν λεγομένων. Τίνα τοίνυν ἐστὶ τὰ ῥήματα; Ἰδοὺ ἡμέραι 63.527 ἔρχονται, λέγει Κύριος. Ἐκ προοιμίων εὐθέως ἀνίστησι τὸν ἀκροατὴν, καὶ διεγείρει τὰ φρονήματα τῶν ἀκουόντων, δεικνὺς ὅτι οὐκ αὐτοῦ τὰ ῥήματα, ἀλλὰ τοῦ ἀπεσταλκότος αὐτὸν Θεοῦ. Ἰδοὺ ἡμέραι ἔρχονται. Εἶτα δείκνυσιν, ὅτι περὶ μελλόντων ἡμῖν διαλέγεται πραγμάτων. Πῶς οὖν, εἰ περὶ μελλόντων διαλέγεται, τὴν Παλαιὰν, φησὶν, αὐτὸς ἔδωκε; Ἀνάμεινον καὶ μὴ θορύβει, καὶ τότε ὄψει σαφῶς τῆς ἀληθείας τὴν λαμπηδόνα. Ὅτε γὰρ ταῦτα ἐλέγετο, ὁ νόμος ἦν δεδομένος καὶ παραβαθεὶς, ἡ δὲ Καινὴ οὐδέπω. Ταῦτα τοίνυν σαφῶς ἐπὶ ταῖς διανοίαις ὑμῶν ἐναποθέμενοι, δέχεσθε τὴν λύσιν τῶν πολλοῖς διαπορουμένων. Ἰδοὺ ἡμέραι ἔρχονται, λέγει Κύριος, τὸν παρόντα καιρὸν δηλῶν, καὶ διαθήσομαι ὑμῖν διαθήκην καινὴν, οὐ κατὰ τὴν διαθήκην ἣν διεθέμην τοῖς πατράσιν ὑμῶν. Ἐρωτῶ τὸν Ἰουδαῖον, ἐρωτῶ τὸν ἀσθενοῦντα ἀδελφὸν, τίς τὴν καινὴν ἔδωκε διαθήκην; Πάντως ἐρεῖ πᾶς, ὅτι ὁ Χριστός. Οὐκοῦν οὗτος καὶ τὴν παλαιάν· ὁ γὰρ εἰπὼν, ὅτι ∆ιαθήσομαι διαθήκην καινὴν, οὐ κατὰ τὴν διαθήκην ἣν διεθέμην, ἔδειξεν ὅτι κἀκείνην αὐτὸς διέθετο· οὐκοῦν ἀμφοτέρων τῶν διαθηκῶν εἷς ὁ νομοθέτης. Καὶ πότε διέθετο τὴν παλαιὰν, εἰπέ μοι; Ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ἐπιλαβομένου μου τῆς χειρὸς αὐτῶν ἐξαγαγεῖν αὐτοὺς ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου. Ἰδὲ πῶς καὶ τὴν εὐκολίαν ἔδειξε τῆς ἐξόδου, καὶ τὴν φιλοστοργίαν τὴν αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὴν ἄδειαν τῆς τότε διεξαγωγῆς, καὶ ὅτι πάντα αὐτὸς ἐθαυματούργει τὰ ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ. Τῷ γὰρ εἰπεῖν, Ἐπιλαβομένου μου τῆς χειρὸς αὐτῶν ἐξαγαγεῖν αὐτοὺς ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου, τὰ θαύματα πάντα ἐδήλωσεν· ἡ γὰρ ἔξοδος ἐκείνη διὰ τῶν σημείων τῶν παραδόξων ἐκείνων ἐγίνετο. Καὶ αὐτοὶ οὐκ ἐνέμειναν τῇ διαθήκῃ μου, κἀγὼ ἠμέλησα αὐτῶν, λέγει Κύριος. Ὅτι μὲν οὖν καινῆς καὶ παλαιᾶς διαθήκης εἷς ὁ νομοθέτης, ἐντεῦθεν δῆλον. Ἐνταῦθα δὲ εἴ τις ἀκριβῶς κατεῖδε τὸ εἰρημένον, οἶδεν ὅτι οὐ τῆς τυχούσης ἀπορίας