Chapter XIV.—Of the Fact that the God of the Hebrews, Although the People Were Conquered, Proved Himself to Be Unconquered, by Overthrowing the Idols, and by Turning All the Gentiles to His Own Service.

21. Here indeed we have a wonderful fact, which is not remarked by those few pagans who have remained such,—namely, that this God of the Hebrews who was offended by the conquered, and who was also denied acceptance by the conquerors, is now preached and worshipped among all nations. This is that God of Israel of whom the prophet spake so long time since, when he thus addressed the people of God: “And He who brought thee out, the God of Israel, shall be called (the God) of the whole earth.”61    Et qui eruit te, Deus Israel, universæ terræ vocabitur. Isa. liv. 5. [Compare the Hebrew, from which the Latin citation varies.—R.] What was thus prophesied has been brought to pass through the name of the Christ, who comes to men in the form of a descendant of that very Israel who was the grandson of Abraham, with whom the race of the Hebrews began.62    In his Retractations (ii. 16) Augustin alludes to this sentence, and says that the word Hebrews (Hebræi) may be derived from Abraham, as if the original form had been Abrahæi, but that it is more correct to take it from Heber, so that Hebræi is for Heberæi. He refers us also to his discussion in the City of God, xvi. 11. For it was to this Israel also that it was said, “In thy seed shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed.”63    Gen. xxviii. 14. Thus it is shown that the God of Israel, the true God who made heaven and earth, and who administers human affairs justly and mercifully in such wise that neither does justice exclude mercy with Him, nor does mercy hinder justice, was not overcome Himself when His Hebrew people suffered their overthrow, in virtue of His permitting the kingdom and priesthood of that nation to be seized and subverted by the Romans. For now, indeed, by the might of this gospel of Christ, the true King and Priest, the advent of which was prefigured by that kingdom and priesthood, the God of Israel Himself is everywhere destroying the idols of the nations. And, in truth, it was to prevent that destruction that the Romans refused to admit the sacred rites of this God in the way that they admitted those of the gods of the other nations whom they conquered. Thus did He remove both kingdom and priesthood from the prophetic nation, because He who was promised to men through the agency of that people had already come. And by Christ the King He has brought into subjection to His own name that Roman empire by which the said nation was overcome; and by the strength and devotion of Christian faith, He has converted it so as to effect a subversion of those idols, the honour ascribed to which precluded His worship from obtaining entrance.

22. I am of opinion that it was not by means of magical arts that Christ, previous to His birth among men, brought it about that those things which were destined to come to pass in the course of His history, were pre-announced by so many prophets, and prefigured also by the kingdom and priesthood established in a certain nation. For the people who are connected with that now abolished kingdom, and who in the wonderful providence of God are scattered throughout all lands, have indeed remained without any unction from the true King and Priest; in which anointing64    Chrism. the import of the name of Christ is plainly discovered. But notwithstanding this, they still retain remnants of some of their observances; while, on the other hand, not even in their state of overthrow and subjugation have they accepted those Roman rites which are connected with the worship of idols. Thus they still keep the prophetic books as the witness of Christ; and in this way in the documents of His enemies we find proof presented65    The text gives probetur veritas Christi, etc.; six mss. give profertur veritas, etc.—Migne. of the truth of this Christ who is the subject of prophecy. What, then, do these unhappy men disclose themselves to be, by the unworthy method in which they laud66    Or adduce—male laudando. the name of Christ? If anything relating to the practice of magic has been written under His name, while the doctrine of Christ is so vehemently antagonistic to such arts, these men ought rather in the light of this fact to gather some idea of the greatness of that name, by the addition of which even persons who live in opposition to His precepts endeavour to dignify their nefarious practices. For just as, in the course of the diverse errors of men, many persons have set up their varied heresies against the truth under the cover of His name, so the very enemies of Christ think that, for the purposes of gaining acceptance for opinions which they propound in opposition to the doctrine of Christ, they have no weight of authority at their service unless they have the name of Christ.

CAPUT XIV. Deus Hebraeorum victis illis se victum non esse ostendit idolorum eversione, et Gentium omnium ad ipsius cultum conversione.

21. Rem sane mirabilem non advertunt pauci Pagani qui remanserunt, Deum Hebraeorum offensum a victis, nec receptum a victoribus, nunc praedicari et coli ab omnibus gentibus. Ipse est enim Deus Israel, de quo tanto ante Propheta plebem Dei sic allocutus est: Et qui eruit te, Deus Israel universae terrae vocabitur (Isai. LIV, 5). Hoc factum est per nomen Christi venientis ad homines ex semine ipsius Israel, qui nepos fuit Abrahae, a quo gens coepit Hebraeorum : nam et ipsi Israel dictum est, In semine tuo benedicentur omnes tribus terrae (Gen. XXVIII, 14). Hinc ostenditur Deus Israel, Deus unus qui fecit coelum et terram, et res humanas juste ac misericorditer curat, ita ut nec praecludat justitia misericordiam, nec impediat misericordia justitiam, quod non ipse sit victus in Hebraeo populo suo, quia regnum sacerdotiumque ejus Romanis expugnandum delendumque permisit: quandoquidem per Christi Evangelium, veri regis et sacerdotis, quod illo regno et sacerdotio futurum praefiguravit, nunc ipse Deus Israel ubique delet idola gentium; quae utique ne delerentur, recipere sacra ejus Romani noluerunt, sicut receperunt deorum aliarum gentium quas vicerunt. Ita et regnum sacerdotiumque propheticae gentis abstulit, quia jam 1052 qui per eam promittebatur, advenerat; et Romanum imperium, a quo gens illa victa est, per Christum regem suo nomini subjugavit, atque ad evertenda idola, propter quorum honorem sacra ejus recepta non erant, christianae fidei robore ac devotione convertit.

22. Puto quia haec de se futura, ut per tot Prophetas, et per cujusdam etiam gentis regnum ac sacerdotium praenuntiarentur, non magicis artibus fecit Christus, antequam esset in hominibus natus. Nam et illius jam deleti regni populus ubique dispersus mirabili Dei providentia, quamvis sine ulla unctione regis sacerdotisque remanserit, in quo chrismate Christi nomen apparet, tenet tamen reliquias quarumdam observationum suarum: Romana autem sacra illa de idolorum cultu nec victus ac subjugatus accepit, ut Libros propheticos ad testimonium gerat Christi, ac sic de inimicorum codicibus probetur veritas prophetati Christi. Quid ergo miseri adhuc Christum male laudando seipsos indicant ? Si aliqua magica sub ejus nomine scripta sunt, cum vehementer his artibus Christi doctrina inimica sit; hinc potius intelligant quantum sit illud nomen, quo addito etiam illi qui contra ejus praecepta vivunt, suas nefarias artes honorare conantur. Sicut enim diversis hominum erroribus multi etiam varias haereses adversus veritatem sub ejus nomine condiderunt; ita sentiunt etiam inimici Christi, ad suadendum quod proferunt contra doctrinam Christi, nullum sibi esse pondus auctoritatis, si non habeat nomen Christi.