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the authority of the law according to the gospel had come. And we must hear him saying it in this way: "I did not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it." 1.7.2 For if he had been established as a transgressor of the law of Moses, he would reasonably have been thought to be abolishing it and breaking the law; and someone by nature wicked and lawless would not have been believed to be the Christ himself. And by abolishing the things of Moses, how could he have been thought to be the very one announced by Moses and the prophets? How could he have had the credibility for a new legislation? For he would have reasonably seemed to have come to this innovation for the sake of transgression, fleeing the punishment for his transgressions. 1.7.3 But now, having in no way abolished any of the things in the law, but having become their fulfiller and perfect, as one might say, according to Moses, since it was no longer possible for the other nations to apply the ordinances of Moses for the reasons previously stated, and since it was necessary indeed, by the philanthropy of the all-good God of all, that "all men be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth," he legislated what was suitable and fitting for all, not having begrudged to announce even the things of Moses to all men through his apostles, if the impossibility had not stood in the way, as the apostle teaches, saying: "For what the law was powerless to do, in that it was weak, God, sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh" and what follows; 1.7.4 but it is impossible, of course, for all the nations to go up to Jerusalem three times a year according to the law of Moses, and for a woman after childbirth to hasten there from the ends of the inhabited world to offer her purification rites, and countless other things which one might recall for himself at leisure. 1.7.5 Since, therefore, it was not possible for the nations settled far from Judea to keep these things even if they wished, reasonably our savior and lord, having abolished none of these things by himself, but having become the fulfiller of the things in the law, and having provided proof to those who saw that he is indeed the Christ of God, the one to whom testimony was borne by the prophets who were of old among the Jews, after these things, he has set forth for all the nations the fitting commands through his own disciples. 1.7.6 Whence we too have refused to Judaize, as it was not legislated for us nor able to be applied to the nations, but we have gladly accepted the prophecies among the Jews, as containing predictions concerning us. And indeed our savior and teacher is in another way also the fulfiller of the law of Moses and of the prophets after him. 1.7.7 For since to the ordinances were lacking the conclusions and the fulfillment of the words, it was necessary indeed that he should become the fulfiller of these very things, for instance, as an example, the prophecy in Moses says: "The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me; you shall listen to him in everything that that prophet will say to you." 1.7.8 This very thing that was lacking he fulfilled, appearing to men as a second lawgiver after Moses of the true piety of the God of all. For Moses' not simply stating that a prophet would be raised up, but with the addition of "like him": "For the Lord your God," he says, "will raise up for you a prophet like me; you shall listen to him," 1.7.9 what else did it signify than that the one divinely proclaimed was to be one made equal to Moses himself? But Moses was a lawgiver of piety toward the God over all. Therefore it was likely that the one prophesied, who was to be like Moses, should also appear as a lawgiver very similar to him. 1.7.10 At any rate, though countless prophets came after Moses, none has been testified to be like Moses; for they all referred their hearers to him. The scripture therefore testifies that a prophet like Moses has not been raised up; therefore neither Jeremiah nor Isaiah nor any other of the prophets could be like him, since not one of them has been shown to be a lawgiver. 1.7.11 Therefore, when the prophet and lawgiver like Moses who was to be raised up was expected, this one was present, Jesus the Christ of God,

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αὐθεντίαν τοῦ κατὰ τὸ εὐαγγέλιον νόμου παρεληλυθέναι. καὶ τοῦτον ἀκουστέον αὐτοῦ λέγοντος τὸν τρόπον· «οὐκ ἦλθον καταλῦσαι τὸν νόμον, ἀλλὰ πληρῶσαι». 1.7.2 Εἰ μὲν γὰρ παραβάτης τοῦ Μωσέως νόμου κατέστη, κἂν εὐλόγως ἐνομίσθη λύειν αὐτὸν καὶ παρανομεῖν· φαῦλος δέ τις καὶ παράνομος πεφυκὼς οὐκ ἂν ἐπιστεύθη αὐτὸς εἶναι ὁ Χριστός. λύων δὲ τὰ Μωσέως πῶς ἂν ἐνομίσθη αὐτὸς ὑπάρχειν ὁ ὑπὸ Μωσέως καὶ τῶν προφητῶν κατηγγελμένος; πῶς δ' ἂν ἔσχεν τὸ ἀξιόπιστον καινῆς νομοθεσίας; ἔδοξε γὰρ ἂν εἰκότως τῆς παρανομίας χάριν ἐπὶ τὴν καινοτομίαν ἐληλυθέναι, φεύγων τὴν ἐπὶ ταῖς παρανομίαις τιμωρίαν. 1.7.3 νῦν δὲ μηδὲν μηδαμῶς τῶν ἐν τῷ νόμῳ λύσας, πληρωτὴς δ' αὐτῶν γενόμενος καὶ τέλειος, ὡς ἄν τις εἴποι, κατὰ Μωσέα, ἐπεὶ μηκέτι τοῖς λοιποῖς ἔθνεσιν δυνατὸν ἦν ἐφαρμόζειν τὰ παρὰ Μωσεῖ νόμιμα διὰ τὰς προδηλωθείσας αἰτίας, χρῆν δὲ δήπου φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ παναγάθου τῶν ὅλων θεοῦ «πάντας ἀνθρώπους σωθῆναι καὶ εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν ἀληθείας ἐλθεῖν» τὰ κατάλληλα καὶ ἁρμόδια τοῖς πᾶσιν ἐνομοθέτησεν, οὐκ ἂν φθονήσας καὶ τὰ Μωσέως διὰ τῶν ἀποστόλων αὐτοῦ πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις καταγγεῖλαι, εἰ μὴ τὸ ἀδύνατον ἐμποδὼν ἦν, ὡς διδάσκει λέγων ὁ ἀπόστολος· «τὸ γὰρ ἀδύνατον τοῦ νόμου, ἐν ᾧ ἠσθένει, ὁ θεὸς τὸν ἑαυτοῦ υἱὸν πέμψας ἐν ὁμοιώματι σαρκὸς ἁμαρτίας» καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς· 1.7.4 ἀδύνατον δὲ πᾶσιν δή που τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ὑπάρχειν τρὶς τοῦ ἔτους ἀπαντᾶν εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα κατὰ τὸν Μωσέως νόμον, καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν περάτων τῆς οἰκουμένης τὴν ἀπὸ λέχους γυναῖκα σπεύδειν αὐτόθι τὰ καθάρσια ἀποθησομένην, καὶ ἄλλα μυρία ἃ καὶ ἑαυτῷ τις ἐπὶ σχολῆς ἀναλέξαιτο ἄν. 1.7.5 ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν ταῦτα οὐδὲ βουλομένοις δυνατὰ ἦν τοῖς ἀπῳκισμένοις τῆς Ἰουδαίας ἔθνεσιν φυλάττειν, εἰκότως μηδὲν τούτων δι' ἑαυτοῦ λύσας ὁ σωτὴρ καὶ κύριος ἡμῶν, πληρωτὴς δὲ γενόμενος τῶν ἐν τῷ νόμῳ, καὶ πίστιν παρασχὼν τοῖς ὁρῶσιν ὡς ἄρα αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ Χριστὸς τοῦ θεοῦ, ὁ πρὸς τῶν παρὰ Ἰουδαίοις πάλαι γενομένων προφητῶν μεμαρτυρημένος, μετὰ ταῦτα πᾶσι τοῖς ἔθνεσι τὰ ἁρμόδια παραγγέλματα διὰ τῶν οἰκείων μαθητῶν προβέβληται. 1.7.6 Ἔνθεν καὶ ἡμεῖς τὸ μὲν ἰουδαΐζειν παρῃτήμεθα, ὡς ἡμῖν μὴ νενομοθετημένον μηδ' ἐφαρμόζειν τοῖς ἔθνεσι δυνάμενον, τὰς δὲ παρὰ Ἰουδαίοις προφητείας ἀσμένως κατεδεξάμεθα, ὡς ἂν τὰς περὶ ἡμῶν περιεχούσας προρρήσεις. Ὁ δέ γε σωτὴρ καὶ διδάσκαλος ἡμῶν καὶ ἄλλως πληρωτὴς ὑπάρχει τοῦ Μωσέως νόμου καὶ τῶν μετ' αὐτὸν προφητῶν. 1.7.7 ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τοῖς τεθεσπισμένοις τὰ τῶν συμπερασμάτων ἔλιπεν τά τε τῶν λόγων ἀποτελέσματα, χρῆν δήπου καὶ τούτων αὐτῶν πληρωτὴν αὐτὸν γενέσθαι, οἷον, ὡς ἐπὶ παραδείγματος, ἡ μὲν παρὰ Μωσεῖ φησιν προφητεία· «προφήτην ὑμῖν ἀναστήσει κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὑμῶν, ὡς ἐμέ· αὐτοῦ ἀκούσεσθε κατὰ πάντα ὅσα ἂν εἴπῃ ὑμῖν ὁ προφήτης ἐκεῖνος». 1.7.8 τοῦτο δὴ τὸ λεῖπον ἀπεπλήρου δεύτερος μετὰ Μωσέα νομοθέτης ἀναφανεὶς ἀνθρώποις τῆς ἀληθοῦς εὐσεβείας τοῦ τῶν ὅλων θεοῦ. τὸ γὰρ μὴ ἁπλῶς φάσκειν Μωσέα προφήτην ἀναστήσεσθαι, ἀλλὰ μετὰ προσθήκης τῆς ὡς αὐτόν· «προφήτην γὰρ ὑμῖν ἀναστήσει, φησίν, κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὑμῶν, ὡς ἐμέ· αὐτοῦ ἀκούσεσθε», 1.7.9 τί ἕτερον ἐδήλου ἢ ὅτι αὐτῷ Μωσεῖ παρισωμένος τις ἔμελλεν γενέσθαι ὁ θεσπιζόμενος; Μωσῆς δὲ νομοθέτης εὐσεβείας ἦν τοῦ ἐπὶ πάντων θεοῦ. οὐκοῦν καὶ τὸν προφητευόμενον, ὅσπερ ἔμελλεν ὅμοιος γενήσεσθαι Μωσεῖ, νομοθέτην ἐκείνῳ παραπλήσιον φῆναι εἰκὸς ἦν. 1.7.10 μυρίων γοῦν μετὰ ταῦτα προφητῶν μετὰ Μωσέα γεγονότων, οὐδεὶς ὅμοιος Μωσεῖ μεμαρτύρηται· πάντες γὰρ εἰς ἐκεῖνον ἀνέπεμπον τοὺς ἀκροωμένους. μαρτυρεῖ δ' οὖν ἡ γραφὴ ὅτι οὐκ ἐγήγερται προφήτης ὅμοιος Μωσεῖ· οὔτε οὖν Ἱερεμίας οὔτε Ἡσαΐας οὔτε τις ἕτερος τῶν προφητῶν ὅμοιος αὐτῷ ἂν εἴη, ἐπειδὴ μηδὲ εἷς τούτων νομοθέτης ἀναδέδεικται. 1.7.11 προσδοκωμένου τοίνυν τοῦ κατὰ Μωσέα μέλλοντος ἀναστήσεσθαι προφήτου τε καὶ νομοθέτου, παρῆν οὗτος Ἰησοῦς ὁ Χριστὸς τοῦ θεοῦ,