John Chrysostom, On the Obscurity of Prophecies

of the Father; even if you do not know how he was begotten, confess that "He was begotten." And if the heretic says to you, How 56.167 was the Son begotten of the Father? pull his mind down to the earth, and say to him: Come down from the heavens, and show how he was born of the virgin, and then ask those questions. Hold him, and stand by, and do not let him jump away, nor retreat into the labyrinth of reasonings; but hold him, and choke him, not with the hand, but with the word; do not give him the distinctions and evasions that he wants. From there they cause a disturbance for those who are in dialogue, because we follow them, and do not bring them under the laws of the divine Scriptures. Therefore, surround him with a wall on all sides, the testimonies from the Scriptures, and he will not even be able to open his mouth. Say to him, How was he born of the virgin? I will not stand aside nor withdraw. But he would not be able to say how, even if he were to argue ten thousand times. For when God shuts, who then will open? Such things are acceptable by faith alone. But if you do not tolerate it, but seek after reasonings, I will say to you what Christ said to Nicodemus: If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? I spoke about the birth from the virgin, and you do not know, nor do you dare to open your mouth, and you are inquisitive about heaven? Would that you were inquisitive about heaven, and not the Master of the heavens. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe. He did not say, "you are not persuaded," but, "You do not believe," showing us that even earthly things require faith. But if earthly things require faith, how much more heavenly things. And yet at that time he was discussing with Nicodemus a much lesser birth; for the discourse was about baptism, and spiritual regeneration; but he said that these things also are apprehended by faith. He called them earthly, not because they are earthly, but because they are accomplished on earth, and in comparison with the birth from above, which is ineffable and surpasses all understanding, these things are earthly. If, therefore, how I am regenerated from the waters, it is not possible to know, but one must accept what happens by faith alone, and not be inquisitive about the manner; how great a madness would it be, concerning the birth from above of the only-begotten Son, to stir up human reasonings, and to demand an account of the manner of his birth? 3. How, then, the only-begotten Son of God is without father and without mother, has been sufficiently demonstrated, and how he is without genealogy in respect to both births; but for the rest, let us lead to the urgent matter, postponing the discourse concerning Melchizedek to another day, and let us awaken our hearing, as we are about to hear prophetic riddles. For prophetic things are like riddles, and there is much difficulty in the Old Testament, and the books are hard to grasp; but the New is clearer and easier. And for what reason, he says, have these things been so arranged, although the New Testament discusses greater matters, concerning the kingdom of heaven, and the resurrection of bodies, and the ineffable good things, which also surpass human understanding? What then is the reason for the prophecies to be obscure? These foretell many evils for the Jews; and that they 56.168 will be cast out, but we will be received; and that the temple will be destroyed, and will no longer be raised, and Jerusalem will fall, and will be trodden by all; and the Jews, having become wanderers, will be scattered everywhere in the inhabited world, and having been cast out of the city, they will no longer have their ancient polity, but all their former things will be taken away from them, both prophecies, and sacrifices, and priesthood, and kingdom. Not only these things, but also many other such things the prophets foretold, mixing countless tragedies into their own books. Therefore, so that the Jews, not hearing clearly from the beginning, might not do away with those who said these things, they concealed the predictions with the difficulty of interpretation, and poured much obscurity over the matters,

Πατρός· εἰ καὶ οὐκ οἶδας πῶς ἐγεννήθη, τὸ, Ἐγεννήθη, ὁμολόγησον. Κἂν λέγῃ σοι ὁ αἱρετικὸς, Πῶς 56.167 ἐγεννήθη ἐκ τοῦ Πατρὸς ὁ Υἱός; κατάσπασον αὐτοῦ τὸ φρόνημα εἰς τὴν γῆν, καὶ εἰπὲ πρὸς αὐτόν· Κατάβηθι ἐκ τῶν οὐρανῶν, καὶ δεῖξον πῶς ἐγεννήθη ἐκ τῆς παρθένου, καὶ τότε ἐκεῖνα ἐρώτα. Κάτασχε αὐτὸν, καὶ περίστηθι, καὶ μὴ ἀφῇς ἀποπηδῆσαι, μηδὲ ἀναχωρῆσαι εἰς τὸν λαβύρινθον τῶν λογισμῶν· ἀλλὰ κάτασχε, καὶ ἀπόπνιξον, μὴ τῇ χειρὶ, ἀλλὰ τῷ ῥήματι· μὴ δῷς αὐτῷ διαστολὰς καὶ διαφυγὰς, ἃς βούλεται. Ἐκεῖθεν θόρυβον ἐμποιοῦσι τοῖς διαλεγομένοις, ἐπειδὴ ἡμεῖς αὐτοῖς ἀκολουθοῦμεν, καὶ οὐκ ἄγομεν ὑπὸ τοὺς νόμους τῶν θείων Γραφῶν. Περίθες τοίνυν αὐτῷ τειχίον πάντοθεν, τὰς ἀπὸ τῶν Γραφῶν μαρτυρίας, καὶ οὐδὲ χᾶναι δυνήσεται. Εἰπὲ πρὸς αὐτὸν, Πῶς ἐγεννήθη ἐκ τῆς παρθένου; οὐκ ἀφίσταμαι οὐδὲ ἀναχωρῶ. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἂν ἔχοι τὸν τρόπον εἰπεῖν, κἂν μυρία φιλονεικῇ. Ὅταν γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς ἀποκλείσῃ, τίς ἀνοίξει λοιπόν; Πίστει παραδεκτὰ τὰ τοιαῦτα μόνῃ. Εἰ δὲ οὐκ ἀνέχῃ, ἀλλὰ λογισμοὺς ἐπιζητεῖς, ἐρῶ πρὸς σὲ, ὃ πρὸς τὸν Νικόδημον ὁ Χριστός· Εἰ τὰ ἐπίγεια εἶπον ὑμῖν, καὶ οὐ πιστεύετε, πῶς, ἐὰν τὰ ἐπουράνια εἴπω, πιστεύσετε; Περὶ τῆς ἐκ παρθένου γεννήσεως εἶπον, καὶ οὐκ οἶδας, οὐδὲ χᾶναι τολμᾷς, καὶ τὸν οὐρανὸν περιεργάζῃ; Εἴθε μὲν οὖν τὸν οὐρανὸν, καὶ μὴ τὸν ∆εσπότην τῶν οὐρανῶν ἐπολυπραγμόνεις. Εἰ τὰ ἐπίγεια εἶπον ὑμῖν, καὶ οὐ πιστεύετε. Οὐκ εἶπεν, οὐ πείθεσθε, ἀλλ', Οὐ πιστεύετε, δεικνὺς ἡμῖν, ὅτι καὶ τὰ ἐπίγεια πίστεως δεῖται. Εἰ δὲ τὰ ἐπίγεια πίστεως δεῖται, πολλῷ μᾶλλον τὰ οὐράνια. Καίτοι τότε τῷ Νικοδήμῳ περὶ τόκου διελέγετο πολὺ ἐλάττονος· περὶ τοῦ βαπτίσματος γὰρ ὁ λόγος ἦν, καὶ τῆς ἀναγεννήσεως τῆς πνευματικῆς· ἀλλ' ἔλεγεν, ὅτι καὶ ταῦτα πίστει ἐστὶ καταληπτά. Ἐπίγεια δὲ αὐτὰ ἐκάλεσεν, οὐκ ἐπειδὴ ἐπίγειά ἐστιν, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ ἐν τῇ γῇ τελεῖται, καὶ τῇ συγκρίσει τῆς ἄνω γεννήσεως τῆς ἀποῤῥήτου καὶ πάντα ὑπερβαινούσης νοῦν, ἐπίγεια ταῦτά ἐστιν. Εἰ τοίνυν, πῶς ἀναγεννῶμαι ἐκ τῶν ὑδάτων, οὐ δυνατὸν εἰδέναι, ἀλλὰ πίστει μόνῃ παραδέχεσθαι δεῖ τὸ γινόμενον, καὶ τὸν τρόπον μὴ περιεργάζεσθαι· πόσης ἂν εἴη μανίας, ἐπὶ τῆς ἄνω γεννήσεως τοῦ μονογενοῦς Υἱοῦ λογισμοὺς ἀνθρωπίνους κινεῖν, καὶ τρόπου γεννήσεως εὐθύνας ἀπαιτεῖν; γʹ. Πῶς μὲν οὖν ἀπάτωρ καὶ ἀμήτωρ ὁ Μονογενὴς Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἱκανῶς ἀποδέδεικται, καὶ πῶς ἀγενεαλόγητος ἑκατέραν τὴν γέννησιν· λοιπὸν δὲ πρὸς τὸ ἐπεῖγον ἀπαγάγωμεν, τὸν λόγον τὸν περὶ τοῦ Μελχισεδὲκ εἰς ἑτέραν ἡμέραν ἀναβαλλόμενοι, καὶ διαναστήσωμεν τὴν ἀκοὴν, προφητικῶν μέλλοντες ἀκούειν αἰνιγμάτων. Αἰνίγμασι γὰρ ἔοικε τὰ προφητικὰ, καὶ πολλὴ δυσκολία ἐν τῇ παλαιᾷ ∆ιαθήκῃ, καὶ δυσεπίληπτα τὰ βιβλία· ἡ δὲ Καινὴ σαφεστέρα καὶ εὐκολωτέρα. Καὶ τίνος ἕνεκεν, φησὶ, ταῦτα οὕτω διατετύπωται, καίτοι ἡ Καινὴ περὶ μειζόνων διαλέγεται πραγμάτων, περὶ βασιλείας οὐρανῶν, καὶ σωμάτων ἀναστάσεως, καὶ τῶν ἀποῤῥήτων ἀγαθῶν, ἃ καὶ ἀνθρώπινον ὑπερβαίνει νοῦν; Τίς οὖν ἡ αἰτία τοῦ τὰς προφητείας ἀσαφεῖς εἶναι; Πολλὰ προλέγουσιν Ἰουδαίοις αὗται κακά· καὶ ὅτι ἐκβληθή56.168 σονται μὲν ἐκεῖνοι, ἡμεῖς δὲ εἰσδεχθησόμεθα· καὶ ὅτι καταλυθήσεται μὲν ὁ ναὸς, καὶ οὐκέτι λοιπὸν ἀναστήσεται, πεσεῖται δὲ τὰ Ἱεροσόλυμα, καὶ πᾶσιν ἔσται βατά· Ἰουδαῖοί τε πλανῆται γενόμενοι, πανταχοῦ τῆς οἰκουμένης διασπαρήσονται, καὶ τῆς πόλεως ἐκπεσόντες, οὐδὲ τὴν πολιτείαν ἕξουσι λοιπὸν τὴν ἀρχαίαν, ἀλλὰ πάντα αὐτῶν ἀφαιρεθήσεται τὰ πρότερα, καὶ προφητεῖαι, καὶ θυσίαι, καὶ ἱερωσύνη, καὶ βασιλεία. Οὐ μόνον δὲ ταῦτα, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄλλα πολλὰ τοιαῦτα προέλεγον οἱ προφῆται, μυρίας τραγῳδίας τοῖς οἰκείοις ἐγκαταμιγνύντες βιβλίοις. Ἵν' οὖν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι μὴ σαφῶς ἀκούσαντες παρὰ τὴν ἀρχὴν, διαχειρίσωνται τοὺς λέγοντας ταῦτα, τῇ δυσκολίᾳ τῆς ἑρμηνείας ἀπέκρυψαν τὰς προῤῥήσεις, καὶ πολλὴν ἀσάφειαν κατέχεαν τῶν πραγμάτων,