[That It Pleased the Lord that the Law of Righteousness Should Be Demonstrated by the Romans.]
XXIV. Nor does He desire that the law of righteousness should only be demonstrated by us; but He is pleased that it should appear and shine by means of the Romans. For these Romans, believing in the Lord, left off their polytheism and injustice, and entertain the good, and punish the bad. But they hold the Jews under tribute, and do not suffer them to make use of their own ordinances.
[24] Οὐ μόνον δὲ τὸν τῆς δικαιοσύνης νόμον δι' ἡμῶν ἐπιδείκνυσθαι βούλεται, ἀλλὰ καὶ διὰ Ῥωμαίων εὐδόκησεν αὐτὸν φαίνεσθαι καὶ λάμπειν: καὶ γὰρ καὶ οὗτοι πιστεύσαντες ἐπὶ τὸν Κύριον καὶ πολυθεΐας ἀπέστησαν καὶ ἀδικίας, καὶ τοὺς ἀγαθοὺς ἀποδέχονται καὶ τοὺς φαύλους κολάζουσιν. Ἰουδαίους δὲ ὑποφόρους ἔχουσιν καὶ τοῖς ἰδίοις δικαιώμασιν οὐκ ἐῶσιν κεχρῆσθαι, ἐπειδὴ καὶ ἑκούσιον ἐπεσπάσαντο τὴν δουλείαν εἰπόντες: «Οὐκ ἔχομεν βασιλέα εἰ μὴ Καίσαρα», καί: «Ἐὰν μὴ ἀποκτείνωμεν, φησίν, τὸν Χριστόν, πάντες εἰς αὐτὸν πιστεύσουσιν, καὶ ἐλεύσονται οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι καὶ ἀροῦσιν ἡμῶν καὶ τὸν τόπον καὶ τὸ ἔθνος.» Καὶ ἄκοντες προεφήτευσαν: καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἐπίστευσαν εἰς αὐτὸν τὰ ἔθνη, καὶ αὐτοὶ ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων τῆς ἐξουσίας περιῃρέθησαν καὶ τῆς νομικῆς λατρείας, κεκωλυμένοι δέ εἰσι καὶ ἀναιρεῖν οὓς ἂν θέλωσι καὶ θύειν ὅτε θέλωσιν. Διὸ καὶ εἰσὶν ἐπικατάρατοι, μὴ δυνάμενοι ποιεῖν τὰ διατεταγμένα: «Ἐπικατάρατος γάρ, φησίν, ὃς οὐκ ἐμμένει ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς γεγραμμένοις ἐν τῷ βιβλίῳ τοῦ νόμου, τοῦ ποιῆσαι αὐτά.» Ἀδύνατον δέ ἐστιν ἐν διασπορᾷ μεταξὺ ἐθνῶν ὄντας πάντα τὰ τοῦ νόμου ἐπιτελεῖν αὐτούς: ἀπαγορεύει γὰρ αὐτοῖς ὁ θεῖος Μωϋσῆς.