Chapter XIV.—Conclusion. Clue to the Error of the Jews.

Learn now (over and above the immediate question) the clue to your error.  We affirm, two characters of the Christ demonstrated by the prophets, and as many advents of His forenoted:  one, in humility (of course the first), when He has to be led “as a sheep for a victim; and, as a lamb voiceless before the shearer, so He opened not His mouth,” not even in His aspect comely.  For “we have announced,” says the prophet, “concerning Him, (He is) as a little child, as a root in a thirsty land; and there was not in Him attractiveness or glory. And we saw Him, and He had not attractiveness or grace; but His mien was unhonoured, deficient in comparison of the sons of men,”320    See Isa. liii. 2 in LXX. “a man set in the plague,321    See Ps. xxxviii. 17 in the “Great Bible” (xxxvii. 18 in LXX.). Also Isa. liii. 3 in LXX. and knowing how to bear infirmity:” to wit as having been set by the Father “for a stone of offence,”322    See Isa. viii. 14 (where, however, the LXX. rendering is widely different) with Rom. ix. 32, 33; Ps. cxviii. 22 (cxvii. 22 in LXX.); 1 Pet. ii. 4. and “made a little lower” by Him “than angels,”323    See Ps. viii. 5 (viii. 6 in LXX.) with Heb. ii. 5–9. He pronounces Himself “a worm, and not a man, an ignominy of man, and the refuse of the People.”324    See Ps. xxii. 6 (xxi. 7 in LXX., the Alex. ms. of which here agrees well with Tertullian). Which evidences of ignobility suit the First Advent, just as those of sublimity do the Second; when He shall be made no longer “a stone of offence nor a rock of scandal,” but “the highest corner-stone,”325    See reference 3 above, with Isa. xxviii. 16. after reprobation (on earth) taken up (into heaven) and raised sublime for the purpose of consummation,326    Comp. Eph. i. 10. and that “rock”—so we must admit—which is read of in Daniel as forecut from a mount, which shall crush and crumble the image of secular kingdoms.327    Or, “worldly kingdoms.” See Dan. ii. 34, 35, 44, 45. Of which second advent of the same (Christ) Daniel has said: “And, behold, as it were a Son of man, coming with the clouds of the heaven, came unto the Ancient of days, and was present in His sight; and they who were standing by led (Him) unto Him. And there was given Him royal power; and all nations of the earth, according to their race, and all glory, shall serve Him: and His power is eternal, which shall not be taken away, and His kingdom one which shall not be corrupted.”328    See Dan. vii. 13, 14. Then, assuredly, is He to have an honourable mien, and a grace not “deficient more than the sons of men;” for (He will then be) “blooming in beauty in comparison with the sons of men.”329    See c. ix. med. “Grace,” says the Psalmist, “hath been outpoured in Thy lips: wherefore God hath blessed Thee unto eternity. Gird Thee Thy sword around Thy thigh, most potent in Thy bloom and beauty!”330    See c. ix. med. while the Father withal afterwards, after making Him somewhat lower than angels, “crowned Him with glory and honour and subjected all things beneath His feet.”331    See Ps. viii. 5, 6 (6, 7 in LXX.); Heb. ii. 6–9. And then shall they “learn to know Him whom they pierced, and shall beat their breasts tribe by tribe;”332    See Zech. xii. 10, 12 (where the LXX., as we have it, differs widely from our Eng. ver. in ver. 10); Rev. i. 7. of course because in days bygone they did not know Him when conditioned in the humility of human estate. Jeremiah says: “He is a human being, and who will learn to know Him?”333    See Jer. xvii. 9 in LXX. because, “His nativity,” says Isaiah, “who shall declare?” So, too, in Zechariah, in His own person, nay, in the very mystery334    Sacramento. of His name withal, the most true Priest of the Father, His own335    The reading which Oehler follows, and which seems to have the best authority, is “verissimus sacerdos Patris, Christus Ipsius,” as in the text.  But Rig., whose judgment is generally very sound, prefers, with some others, to read, “verus summus sacerdos Patris Christus Jesus;” which agrees better with the previous allusion to “the mystery of His name withal:” comp. c. ix. above, towards the end. Christ, is delineated in a twofold garb with reference to the two advents.336    See Zech. iii. “The mystery of His name” refers to the meaning of “Jeshua,” for which see c. ix. above. First, He was clad in “sordid attire,” that is, in the indignity of passible and mortal flesh, when the devil, withal, was opposing himself to Him—the instigator, to wit, of Judas the traitor337    Comp. John vi. 70 and xiii. 2 (especially in Greek, where the word διάβολος is used in each case).—who even after His baptism had tempted Him.  In the next place, He was stripped of His former sordid raiment, and adorned with a garment down to the foot, and with a turban and a clean mitre, that is, (with the garb) of the second advent; since He is demonstrated as having attained “glory and honour.” Nor will you be able to say that the man (there depicted) is “the son of Jozadak,”338    Or “Josedech,” as Tertullian here writes, and as we find in Hag. i. 1, 12; ii. 2, 4; Zech. vi. 11, and in the LXX. who was never at all clad in a sordid garment, but was always adorned with the sacerdotal garment, nor ever deprived of the sacerdotal function. But the “Jesus”339    Or, “Jeshua.” there alluded to is Christ, the Priest of God the most high Father; who at His first advent came in humility, in human form, and passible, even up to the period of His passion; being Himself likewise made, through all (stages of suffering) a victim for us all; who after His resurrection was “clad with a garment down to the foot,”340    See Rev. i. 13. and named the Priest of God the Father unto eternity.341    See Ps. cx. (cix. in LXX.) 4; Heb. v. 5–10. So, again, I will make an interpretation of the two goats which were habitually offered on the fast-day.342    See Lev. xvi. Do not they, too, point to each successive stage in the character of the Christ who is already come? A pair, on the one hand, and consimilar (they were), because of the identity of the Lord’s general appearance, inasmuch as He is not to come in some other form, seeing that He has to be recognised by those by whom He was once hurt. But the one of them, begirt with scarlet, amid cursing and universal spitting, and tearing, and piercing, was cast away by the People outside the city into perdition, marked with manifest tokens of Christ’s passion; who, after being begirt with scarlet garment, and subjected to universal spitting, and afflicted with all contumelies, was crucified outside the city.343    Comp. Heb. xiii. 10–13. It is to be noted, however, that all this spitting, etc., formed no part of the divinely ordained ceremony. The other, however, offered for sins, and given as food to the priests merely of the temple,344    This appears to be an error. See Lev. vi. 30. gave signal evidences of the second appearance; in so far as, after the expiation of all sins, the priests of the spiritual temple, that is, of the church, were to enjoy345    Unless Oehler’s “fruerentur” is an error for “fruentur” ="will enjoy.” a spiritual public distribution (as it were) of the Lord’s grace, while all others are fasting from salvation.

Therefore, since the vaticinations of the first advent obscured it with manifold figures, and debased it with every dishonour, while the second (was foretold as) manifest and wholly worthy of God, it has resulted therefrom, that, by fixing their gaze on that one alone which they could easily understand and believe (that is, the second, which is in honour and glory), they have been (not undeservedly) deceived as to the more obscure—at all events, the more unworthy—that is, the first. And thus to the present moment they affirm that their Christ is not come, because He is not come in majesty; while they are ignorant of346    Or, “ignore.” the fact that He was first to come in humility.

Enough it is, meantime, to have thus far followed the stream downward of the order of Christ’s course, whereby He is proved such as He was habitually announced: in order that, as a result of this harmony of the Divine Scriptures, we may understand; and that the events which used to be predicted as destined to take place after Christ may be believed to have been accomplished as the result of a divine arrangement. For unless He come after whom they had to be accomplished, by no means would the events, the future occurrence whereof was predictively assigned to His advent, have come to pass.  Therefore, if you see universal nations thenceforth emerging from the profundity of human error to God the Creator and His Christ (which you dare not assert to have not been prophesied, because, albeit you were so to assert, there would forthwith—as we have already premised347    See cc. xi. xii. above.—occur to you the promise of the Father saying, “My Son art Thou; I this day have begotten Thee; ask of Me, and I will give Thee Gentiles as Thine heritage, and as Thy possession the boundaries of the earth.”  Nor will you be able to vindicate, as the subject of that prediction, rather the son of David, Solomon, than Christ, God’s Son; nor “the boundaries of the earth,” as promised rather to David’s son, who reigned within the single land of Judea, than to Christ the Son of God, who has already illumined the whole world348    Orbem. with the rays of His gospel. In short, again, a throne “unto the age”349    Or, “unto eternity.” Comp. 2 Sam. (2 Kings in LXX.) vii. 13; 1 Chron. xvii. 12; Ps. lxxxix. 3, 4, 29, 35, 36, 37 (in LXX. Ps. lxxxviii. 4, 5, 30, 36, 37, 38). is more suitable to Christ, God’s Son, than to Solomon,—a temporal king, to wit, who reigned over Israel alone. For at the present day nations are invoking Christ which used not to know Him; and peoples at the present day are fleeing in a body to the Christ of whom in days bygone they were ignorant350    See Isa. lv. 5 (especially in the LXX).), you cannot contend that is future which you see taking place.351    Oehler’s pointing is discarded. The whole passage, from “which you dare not assert” down to “ignorant,” appears to be parenthetical; and I have therefore marked it as such. Either deny that these events were prophesied, while they are seen before your eyes; or else have been fulfilled, while you hear them read: or, on the other hand, if you fail to deny each position, they will have their fulfilment in Him with respect to whom they were prophesied.

CAPUT XIV.

Discite nunc ex abundantia erroris vestri ducatum. 0638C Duos dicimus Christi habitus a prophetis demonstratos, totidem adventus ejus praenotasse : unum in humilitate, utique primum, cum tamquam ovis ad victimam duci habebat, et tamquam agnus ante tondentem 0639A sine voce, sic non aperuit os suum (Is. LIII, 7) ne aspectu quidem honestus: Adnuntiamus enim, inquit, de illo, sicut puerulas, sicut radix in terra sitienti, et non erat ei species, neque gloria. Et vidimus eum, et non habebat speciem neque decorem, sed species ejus inhonorata, deficiens citra filios hominum, homo in plaga, sciens ferre infirmitatem (Ibid. 2-4): scilicet ut positus a Patre in lapidem offensionis (Is. VIII, 14): et minoratus ab eo modicum citra angelos (Ps. VIII, 6), vermem se pronuntiat, et non hominem, ignominiam hominis, et abjectionem populi (Ps. XXI, 7). Quae ignobilitatis argumenta, primo adventui competunt, sicut sublimitatis secundo; cum fiet, jam non lapis offensionis, nec petra scandali, sed lapis summus angularis, post reprobationem adsumptus, et sublimatus 0639B in consummationem (Is. XXVIII, 16): et petra sane illa apud Danielem de monte praecisa, quae imaginem saecularium regnorum comminuet et conteret (Dan., II, 34 sqq.). De quo secundo adventu idem Daniel dixit: Et ecce cum nubibus coeli tamquam filius hominis veniens, venit usque ad Veterem dierum, et aderat in conspectu ejus. Et qui adsistebant, adduxerunt illum: et data est ei potestas regia, et omnes nationes terrae secundum genus, et omnis gloria servient illi: et potestas illius aeterna, quae non auferetur, et regnum ejus quod non corrompetur (Dan., VII, 13, 14). Tunc scilicet speciem honorabilem et decorem habiturus est indeficientem supra filios hominum: tempestivus enim decore citra filios hominum. Effusa est gratia, inquit, in labiis tuis, propterea benedixit te 0639C Deus in saecula. Accingere ensem tuum circa femur tuum, potens tempestivitate et pulchritudine tua (Ps. XLIV, 3-5): cum et Pater postea, cum diminuit illum modicum quid citra angelos, gloria et honore coronavit illum, et subjecit omnia sub pedibus ejus (Ps. VIII, 6 8; Hebr., II, 7). Et tunc cognoscent eum, quem pupugerunt. Et caedent pectora sua tribus ad tribum (Zach., XII, 10; Joan, XIX, 37), utique quod retro non agnoverint eum, in humilitate conditionis humanae constitutum. Hieremias 0640A inquit: Et homo est, et quis cognoscet illum (Jer. XVII, 7, sec. LXX)? quia et nativitatem ejus, inquit Esaias, quis enarrabit? Sicet apud Zachariam (c. XII) in persona ipsius, imo et in ipsius nominis sacramento, verus summus sacerdos patris Christus Jesus duplici habitu in duos adventus delineatur. Primo sordidis indutus est, id est carnis passibilis et mortalis indignitate, cum et diabolus adversabatur ei, auctor scilicet Judae traditoris, qui eum etiam post baptismum tentaverat. Dehinc spoliatus pristinas sordes, exornatus podere et mitra et cidari munda , id est secundi adventus; quoniam gloriam et honorem adeptus demonstratur. Nec poteritis eum Josedech filium dicere, qui nulla omnino veste sordida, sed semper sacerdotali (Zach., VI, 11) fuit exornatus, 0640B nec umquam sacerdotali munere privatus. Sed Jesus iste Christus Dei patris summus sacerdos qui primo adventu suo humana forma et passibilis venit in humilitate usque ad passionem; ipse etiam effectus hostia per omnia pro omnibus nobis, qui post resurrectionem suam indutus podere, sacerdos in aeternum (Ps. CIX, 4; Hebr., V, 6) Dei patris nuncupatus est. Sic enim et duorum hircorum, qui jejunio offerebantur (Levit., XVI), faciam interpretationem. Nonne et illi utrumque ordinem nominis Christi, qui jam venit, ostendunt? Pares quidem atque consimiles, propter eumdem Domini conspectum, qui non alia venturus est forma, ut qui agnosci habet a quibus et laesus est. Unus autem eorum circumdatus coccino, maledictus, et consputatus, et convulsus, et compunctus, 0640C a populo extra civitatem abjiciebatur in perditionem, manifestis notatus insignibus Christi passionis; qui coccinea circumdatus veste; et consputatus, et omnibus contumeliis afflictus, extra civitatem crucifixus est. Alter vero pro delictis oblatus, et sacerdotibus tantum templi in pabulum datus, secundae repraesentationis argumenta signabat, qua delictis omnibus expiati sacerdotes templi spiritalis, id est Ecclesiae, Dominicae gratiae quasi 0641A visceratione quadam fruerentur, jejunantibus caeteris a salute. Igitur, quoniam primus adventus et plurimis figuris obscuratus, et omni inhonestate prostratus, canebatur, secundus vero et manifestus et Deo condignus; idcirco quem facile et intelligere et credere potuerunt, eum solum intuentes, id est secundum, qui est in honore et gloria, non immerito decepti sunt circa indigniorem, certe obscuriorem, id est primum. Atque ita in hodiernum negant venisse Christum suum, quia non in sublimitate venerit, dum ignorant in humilitate primo fuisse venturum. Sufficit huc usque de his interim ordinem Christi decurrisse quo talis probatur quali adnuntiabatur, ut jam ex ista consonantia Scripturarum divinarum intelligamus, et quae post Christum futura praedicabantur, ex dispositione 0641B divina credantur expuncta. Nisi enim ille venisset post quem habebant expungi, nullo modo evenissent quae in adventum ejus futura praedicabantur. Igitur si universas nationes de profundo erroris humani exinde emergentes ad Deum creatorem et Christum ejus cernitis , prophetatum 0642A non audetis negare; quia, etsi negaretis, statim vobis in Psalmis, sicuti jam praelocuti sumus promissio Patris occurreret, dicentis: Flius meus es tu, ego hodie genui te; pete a me, et dabo tibi gentes haereditatem tuam, et possessionem tuam terminos terrae (Ps. II, 7, 8); nec poteritis in istam praedicationem magis David filium Salomonem vindicare, quam Christum Dei filium dicere ; nec terminos terrae David filio promissos, qui intra unicam Judaeam regnavit, quam Christo filio Dei, qui totum jam orbem Evangelii sui radiis inluminavit. Denique et thronus in aevum magis Christo Dei filio competit, quam Salomoni, temporali scilicet regi, qui soli Israel regnavit. Christum enim hodie invocant nationes quae eum non sciebant, et populi hodie ad Christum confugiunt, quem retro 0642B ignorabant. Non potes futurum contendere, quod vides fieri. Haec aut prophetata nega, cum coram videntur; aut adimpleta cum leguntur: aut si non negas utrumque, in eo erunt adimpleta in quem sunt prophetata.