Chapter LVI.

Now it escaped the notice of Celsus, and of the Jew whom he has introduced, and of all who are not believers in Jesus, that the prophecies speak of two advents of Christ:  the former characterized by human suffering and humility, in order that Christ, being with men, might make known the way that leads to God, and might leave no man in this life a ground of excuse, in saying that he knew not of the judgment to come; and the latter, distinguished only by glory and divinity, having no element of human infirmity intermingled with its divine greatness.  To quote the prophecies at length would be tedious; and I deem it sufficient for the present to quote a part of the forty-fifth Psalm, which has this inscription, in addition to others, “A Psalm for the Beloved,” where God is evidently addressed in these words:  “Grace is poured into Thy lips:  therefore God will bless Thee for ever and ever.  Gird Thy sword on Thy thigh, O mighty One, with Thy beauty and Thy majesty.  And stretch forth, and ride prosperously, and reign, because of Thy truth, and meekness, and righteousness; and Thy right hand shall lead Thee marvellously.  Thine arrows are pointed, O mighty One; the people will fall under Thee in the heart of the enemies of the King.”108    Ps. xlv. 2–5.  But attend carefully to what follows, where He is called God:  “For Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever:  a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of Thy kingdom.  Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity:  therefore God, even Thy God, hath anointed Thee with the oil of gladness above Thy fellows.”109    Ps. xlv. 6, 7.  And observe that the prophet, speaking familiarly to God, whose “throne is for ever and ever,” and “a sceptre of righteousness the sceptre of His kingdom,” says that this God has been anointed by a God who was His God, and anointed, because more than His fellows He had loved righteousness and hated iniquity.  And I remember that I pressed the Jew, who was deemed a learned man, very hard with this passage; and he, being perplexed about it, gave such an answer as was in keeping with his Judaistic views, saying that the words, “Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever:  a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of Thy kingdom,” are spoken of the God of all things; and these, “Thou hast loved righteousness and hated iniquity, therefore Thy God hath anointed Thee,” etc., refer to the Messiah.110    πρὸς τὸν Χριστόν.

Ἔλαθε δὲ τὸν Κέλσον καὶ τὸν παρ' αὐτῷ Ἰουδαῖον καὶ πάντας, ὅσοι τῷ Ἰησοῦ μὴ πεπιστεύκασιν, ὅτι αἱ προφητεῖαι δύο λέγουσιν εἶναι τὰς Χριστοῦ ἐπιδημίας, τὴν μὲν προτέραν ἀνθρωποπαθεστέραν καὶ ταπεινοτέραν, ἵνα σὺν ἀνθρώποις ὢν ὁ Χριστὸς διδάξῃ τὴν φέρουσαν πρὸς θεὸν ὁδὸν καὶ μηδενὶ τῶν ἐν τῷ βίῳ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀπολογίας καταλίπῃ τόπον ὡς οὐκ ἐγνωκότι περὶ τῆς ἐσομένης κρίσεως, τὴν δ' ἑτέραν ἔνδοξον καὶ μόνον θειοτέραν, οὐδὲν ἐπιπε πλεγμένον τῇ θειότητι ἔχουσαν ἀνθρωποπαθές. Παραθέσθαι δὲ καὶ τὰς προφητείας πολὺ ἂν εἴη· ἀρκεῖ δ' ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος τὸ ἀπὸ τοῦ τεσσαρακοστοῦ καὶ τετάρτου ψαλμοῦ, ὃς καὶ ἐπιγέγραπται πρὸς ἄλλοις εἶναι καὶ "Ὠδὴ ὑπὲρ τοῦ ἀγαπητοῦ", ἔνθα καὶ θεὸς ἀνηγόρευται σαφῶς διὰ τούτων· "Ἐξεχύθη ἡ χάρις ἐν χείλεσι σου· διὰ τοῦτο εὐλόγησέ σε ὁ θεὸς εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. Περίζωσαι τὴν ῥομφαίαν σου ἐπὶ τὸν μηρόν σου, δυνατὲ τῇ ὡραιότητί σου καὶ τῷ κάλλει σου, καὶ ἔντεινον καὶ κατευοδοῦ καὶ βασίλευε ἕνεκεν ἀληθείας καὶ πρᾳότητος καὶ δικαιοσύνης, καὶ ὁδηγήσει σε θαυμαστῶς ἡ δεξιά σου. Τὰ βέλη σου ἠκονημένα, δυνατέ, λαοὶ ὑποκάτω σου πεσοῦνται ἐν καρδίᾳ τῶν ἐχθρῶν τοῦ βασιλέως." Πρόσχες δ' ἐπιμελῶς τοῖς ἑξῆς, ἔνθα θεὸς εἴρηται· "Ὁ θρόνος σου", γάρ φησιν, "ὁ θεός, εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος, ῥάβδος εὐθύτητος ἡ ῥάβδος τῆς βασιλείας σου. Ἠγάπησας δικαιοσύνην καὶ ἐμίσησας ἀνομίαν· διὰ τοῦτο ἔχρισέ σε ὁ θεὸς ὁ θεός σου ἔλαιον ἀγαλλιάσεως παρὰ τοὺς μετόχους σου." Καὶ κατανόει ὅτι θεῷ ὁμιλῶν ὁ προφήτης, οὗ "ὁ θρόνος" ἐστὶν "εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος", καὶ "ῥάβδος εὐθύτητος ἡ ῥάβδος τῆς βασιλείας" αὐτοῦ, τοῦτον τὸν θεόν φησι κεχρῖσθαι ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ, ὃς ἦν αὐτοῦ θεός· κεχρῖσθαι δέ, ἐπεὶ "παρὰ τοὺς μετόχους" αὐτοῦ οὗτος ἠγάπησε "δικαιοσύνην" καὶ ἐμίσησεν "ἀνομίαν". Καὶ μέμνημαί γε πάνυ θλίψας τὸν Ἰουδαῖον νομιζόμενον σοφὸν ἐκ τῆς λέξεως ταύτης· ὃς πρὸς αὐτὴν ἀπορῶν εἰπεῖν τὰ τῷ ἑαυτοῦ ἰουδαϊσμῷ ἀκόλουθα, εἶπε πρὸς μὲν τὸν τῶν ὅλων θεὸν εἰρῆσθαι τὸ "Ὁ θρόνος σου, ὁ θεός, εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος, ῥάβδος εὐθύτητος ἡ ῥάβδος τῆς βασιλείας σου", πρὸς δὲ τὸν Χριστὸν τὸ "Ἠγάπησας δικαιοσύνην καὶ ἐμίσησας ἀνομίαν· διὰ τοῦτο ἔχρισέ σε ὁ θεὸς ὁ θεός σου" καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς.