50
an apology on behalf of the Jews, that they might also accept it. He fulfilled it, he says, thus. Do you see how he refers the whole matter to that? Repent therefore, 60.77 he says, and be converted. And he does not say, "From your sins," but, "That your sins may be blotted out," meaning the same thing. Then he adds the gain: "That times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord." He shows here that they were afflicted, and worn out by many evils. This is why he spoke thus, knowing that this word would be fitting for one who is suffering and seeking comfort. 2. And see how he proceeds step by step. In the first oration he gently hinted at the resurrection and the session in heaven; but here, also the manifest coming. "And that He may send Jesus Christ, which was before ordained for you: Whom the heaven must receive"—instead of, "it is necessary"—"until the times of restitution of all things." Why He does not come now, the reason is clear. "Which God," he says, "has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began." "For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; Him shall you hear in all things whatsoever He shall say unto you." There he mentioned David, but here Moses. "Of all things," he says, "which God has spoken." He does not say, "Which Christ said," but, "Which God has spoken," still by this veiling gently leading them to faith. Then he has recourse to what is trustworthy, saying: "A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; Him shall you hear in all things." Then also the punishment is great. "And it shall come to pass," he says, "that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people." "Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days." Here he well placed the destruction. For whenever he says something great, he has recourse to the first ones. And he found a testimony having both, just as he said there: "Until He put His enemies under His feet." For the wonderful thing is that the two are together, both the subjection and the disobedience, and the punishment. "Like me," he says. Why then are you alarmed? "You are the children of the prophets." So they spoke to you, and for your sakes all things have come to pass. For since because of their audacious act they thought themselves to be alienated (for it does not make sense for the same one to be now crucified, and now to heal them as his own), he shows that both that was according to prophecy, and this. "You are," he says, "the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in your seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed." "Unto you first," he says, "God, having raised up His Son, sent Him." Therefore to others also; but to you first who crucified Him. "To bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities." But let us look more closely from the beginning at what has been read. For the present he establishes that they themselves worked the miracle by saying: "Why do you marvel?" And he does not allow what is said to be disbelieved. And that he might make it more credible, he anticipates their judgment: "Why," he says, "do you look so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made?" If this disturbs and troubles you, learn who did it, and do not be astonished. And see everywhere, that when he has recourse to God, and says that all things are from Him, then he fearlessly rebukes them. 60.78 For this reason also he said above, "A man approved of God among you." And everywhere he reminds them of their audacious act, so that the miracle may be shown, and the resurrection confirmed. But here he added something else; for he no longer says "the Nazarene," but what? "The God," he says, "of our fathers, has glorified His Son Jesus." See also his lack of pride. He did not bring a charge, nor say immediately: "And now believe; behold, a man lame for forty years has risen up in the name of Jesus Christ." He did not speak thus; for he would have made them more contentious; but for the time being he praises them, because they marveled at what had happened. And again he calls upon their forefather. And he does not say, "Jesus healed him"; and yet it was He who healed him; but,
50
ἀπολογίας τῆς ὑπὲρ Ἰουδαίων, ἵνα καὶ δέξωνται. Ἐπλήρωσε, φησὶν, οὕτως. Ὁρᾷς, πῶς τὸ πᾶν ἐκεῖ ἀνάγει; Μετανοήσατε οὖν, 60.77 φησὶ, καὶ ἐπιστρέψατε. Καὶ οὐ λέγει, Ἀπὸ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ὑμῶν, ἀλλ', Εἰς τὸ ἐξαλειφθῆναι ὑμῶν τὰς ἁμαρτίας, τὸ αὐτὸ δηλῶν. Εἶτα τὸ κέρδος ἐπάγει· Ὅπως ἂν ἔλθωσι καιροὶ ἀναψύξεως ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ Κυρίου. ∆είκνυσιν ἐνταῦθα ταλαιπωρηθέντας αὐτοὺς, καὶ πολλοῖς κατεργασθέντας κακοῖς. ∆ιὸ καὶ οὕτως εἶπεν, εἰδὼς ὅτι πρὸς τὸν πάσχοντα καὶ παραμυθίαν ζητοῦντα οὗτος ἂν ἁρμόσειεν ὁ λόγος. βʹ. Καὶ ὅρα, πῶς ὁδῷ προβαίνει. Ἐν μὲν τῇ πρώτῃ δημηγορίᾳ ἠρέμα τὴν ἀνάστασιν καὶ τὴν ἐν οὐρανῷ κάθισιν ᾐνίξατο· ἐνταῦθα δὲ καὶ τὴν ἐμφανῆ παρουσίαν. Καὶ ἀποστείλῃ τὸν προκεχειρισμένον Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν, ὃν δεῖ οὐρανὸν μὲν δέξασθαι· ἀντὶ τοῦ, ἀνάγκη ἐστίν· ἄχρι χρόνων ἀποκαταστάσεως πάντων. ∆ιατί νῦν οὐκ ἔρχεται, ἡ αἰτία δήλη. Ὧν ἐλάλησε, φησὶν, ὁ Θεὸς διὰ στόματος τῶν ἁγίων αὐτοῦ προφητῶν τῶν ἀπ' αἰῶνος. Μωσῆς μὲν εἶπεν πρὸς τοὺς πατέρας, ὅτι Προφήτην ὑμῖν ἀναστήσει Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ὑμῶν ἐκ τῶν ἀδελφῶν ὑμῶν ὡς ἐμέ· αὐτοῦ ἀκούσεσθε κατὰ πάντα, ὅσα ἂν λαλήσῃ πρὸς ὑμᾶς. Ἐκεῖ μὲν τοῦ ∆αυῒδ ἐμνημόνευσεν, ἐνταῦθα δὲ Μωσέως. Πάντων, φησὶν, ὧν ἐλάλησεν ὁ Θεός. Οὐ λέγει, Ὧν εἶπεν ὁ Χριστὸς, ἀλλ', Ὧν ἐλάλησεν ὁ Θεὸς, ἔτι τῷ συσκιάζειν μᾶλλον αὐτοὺς ἐπαγόμενος εἰς πίστιν ἠρέμα. Εἶτα ἐπὶ τὸ ἀξιόπιστον καταφεύγει, λέγων· Προφήτην ὑμῖν ἀναστήσει Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ἐκ τῶν ἀδελφῶν ὑμῶν ὡς ἐμέ· αὐτοῦ ἀκούσεσθε κατὰ πάντα. Εἶτα καὶ ἡ τιμωρία πολλή. Ἔσται δὲ, φησὶ, πᾶσα ψυχὴ, ἥτις ἂν μὴ ἀκούσῃ τοῦ προφήτου ἐκείνου, ἐξολοθρευθήσεται ἐκ τοῦ λαοῦ. Καὶ πάντες δὲ οἱ προφῆται ἀπὸ Σαμουὴλ καὶ τῶν καθεξῆς ὅσοι ἐλάλησαν καὶ κατήγγειλαν τὰς ἡμέρας ταύτας. Ἐνταῦθα καλῶς τὸν ὄλεθρον ἔθηκεν. Ὅταν γάρ τι λέγῃ μέγα, ἐπὶ τοὺς πρώτους καταφεύγει. Καὶ μαρτυρίαν εὗρεν ἀμφότερα ἔχουσαν, ὥσπερ ἐκεῖ εἶπεν· Ἕως ἂν θῇ τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ὑπὸ τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ. Τὸ γὰρ θαυμαστὸν, ὅτι ὁμοῦ τὰ δύο, καὶ ὑποταγὴ καὶ παρακοὴ, καὶ ἡ τιμωρία. Ὡς ἐμὲ, φησί. Τί τοίνυν πτοεῖσθε; Ὑμεῖς ἐστε υἱοὶ τῶν προφητῶν. Ὥστε ὑμῖν ἔλεγον, καὶ δι' ὑμᾶς πάντα γέγονεν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ διὰ τὸ τόλμημα ἐνόμιζον ἑαυτοὺς ἠλλοτριῶσθαι (καὶ γὰρ οὐκ ἔχει λόγον τὸν αὐτὸν, νῦν μὲν σταυροῦσθαι, νῦν δὲ ὡς οἰκείους θεραπεύειν), δείκνυσιν, ὅτι καὶ ἐκεῖνο κατὰ προφητείαν, καὶ τοῦτο. Ὑμεῖς ἐστε, φησὶν, υἱοὶ τῶν προφητῶν, καὶ τῆς διαθήκης, ἧς διέθετο ὁ Θεὸς πρὸς τοὺς πατέρας ὑμῶν, λέγων πρὸς Ἀβραάμ· Καὶ ἐν τῷ σπέρματί σου εὐλογηθήσονται πᾶσαι αἱ πατριαὶ τῆς γῆς. Ὑμῖν πρῶτον, φησὶν, ὁ Θεὸς ἀναστήσας τὸν Παῖδα αὐτοῦ ἀπέστειλεν. Ἄρα καὶ ἑτέροις· ἀλλ' ὑμῖν πρῶτον τοῖς σταυρώσασιν. Εὐλογοῦντα ὑμᾶς, ἐν τῷ ἀποστρέφειν ἕκαστον ἀπὸ τῶν πονηριῶν. Ἴδωμεν δὲ ἀκριβέστερον ἄνωθεν τὰ ἀναγνωσθέντα. Τέως κατασκευάζει, ὅτι αὐτοὶ ἐποίησαν τὸ θαῦμα ἐν τῷ εἰπεῖν· Τί θαυμάζετε; Καὶ οὐκ ἀφίησιν ἀπιστεῖσθαι τὸ λεγόμενον. Καὶ ἵνα ἀξιοπιστότερον αὐτὸ ποιήσῃ, προκαταλαμβάνει αὐτῶν τὴν κρίσιν· Ἡμῖν, φησὶ, τί ἀτενίζετε, ὡς ἰδίᾳ δυνάμει ἢ εὐσεβείᾳ πεποιηκόσιν; Εἰ τοῦτο ὑμᾶς ταράττει καὶ θορυβεῖ, μάθετε, τίς ὁ ποιήσας, καὶ μὴ ἐκπλήττεσθε. Καὶ ὅρα πανταχοῦ, ὅτι ἐπὶ τὸν Θεὸν ὅταν καταφεύγῃ, καὶ εἴπῃ παρ' αὐτοῦ γίνεσθαι πάντα, τότε ἀδεῶς αὐτοῖς ἐπιπλήττει. 60.78 ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἀνωτέρω ἔλεγεν, Ἄνδρα ἀποδεδειγμένον ἀπὸ Θεοῦ εἰς ὑμᾶς. Καὶ πανταχοῦ ἀναμιμνήσκει αὐτοὺς τοῦ τολμήματος, ἵνα καὶ τὸ θαῦμα δειχθῇ, καὶ ἡ ἀνάστασις κυρωθῇ. Ἐνταῦθα δὲ καὶ ἄλλο προσέθηκεν· οὐκ ἔτι γὰρ Ναζωραῖον λέγει, ἀλλὰ τί; Ὁ Θεὸς, φησὶ, τῶν πατέρων ἡμῶν ἐδόξασε τὸν Παῖδα αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦν. Ὅρα καὶ τὸ ἄτυφον. Οὐκ ἐνεκάλεσεν, οὐδὲ εἶπεν εὐθέως· Καὶ νῦν πιστεύετε· ἰδοὺ ἄνθρωπος τεσσαράκοντα ἔτη χωλὸς ὢν, ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἀνέστη. Οὐχ οὕτως εἶπεν· φιλονεικοτέρους γὰρ ἂν ἐποίησεν· ἀλλὰ τέως αὐτοὺς ἐπαινεῖ, ὅτι ἐθαύμαζον τὸ γεγενημένον. Καὶ πάλιν ἀπὸ τοῦ προγόνου καλεῖ. Καὶ οὐ λέγει, Ὁ Ἰησοῦς αὐτὸν ἐθεράπευσε· καίτοι γεαὐτὸς αὐτὸν ἐθεράπευσεν· ἀλλ',