Chapter LXXXII.—The prophetical gifts of the Jews were transferred to the Christians.

“For the prophetical gifts remain with us, even to the present time. And hence you ought to understand that [the gifts] formerly among your nation have been transferred to us. And just as there were false prophets contemporaneous with your holy prophets, so are there now many false teachers amongst us, of whom our Lord forewarned us to beware; so that in no respect are we deficient, since we know that He foreknew all that would happen to us after His resurrection from the dead and ascension to heaven. For He said we would be put to death, and hated for His name’s sake; and that many false prophets and false Christs would appear in His name, and deceive many: and so has it come about. For many have taught godless, blasphemous, and unholy doctrines, forging them in His name; have taught, too, and even yet are teaching, those things which proceed from the unclean spirit of the devil, and which were put into their hearts. Therefore we are most anxious that you be persuaded not to be misled by such persons, since we know that every one who can speak the truth, and yet speaks it not, shall be judged by God, as God testified by Ezekiel, when He said, ‘I have made thee a watchman to the house of Judah. If the sinner sin, and thou warn him not, he himself shall die in his sin; but his blood will I require at thine hand. But if thou warn him, thou shalt be innocent.’327    Ezek. iii. 17, 18, 19. And on this account we are, through fear, very earnest in desiring to converse [with men] according to the Scriptures, but not from love of money, or of glory, or of pleasure. For no man can convict us of any of these [vices]. No more do we wish to live like the rulers of your people, whom God reproaches when He says, ‘Your rulers are companions of thieves, lovers of bribes, followers of the rewards.’328    Isa. i. 23. Now, if you know certain amongst us to be of this sort, do not for their sakes blaspheme the Scriptures and Christ, and do not assiduously strive to give falsified interpretations.

[82] Παρὰ γὰρ ἡμῖν καὶ μέχρι νῦν προφητικὰ χαρίσματά ἐστιν, ἐξ οὗ καὶ αὐτοὶ συνιέναι ὀφείλετε, ὅτι τὰ πάλαι ἐν τῷ γένει ὑμῶν ὄντα εἰς ἡμᾶς μετετέθη. ὅνπερ δὲ τρόπον καὶ ψευδοπροφῆται ἐπὶ τῶν παρ' ὑμῖν γενομένων ἁγίων προφητῶν ἦσαν, καὶ παρ' ἡμῖν νῦν πολλοί εἰσι καὶ ψευδοδιδάσκαλοι, οὓς φυλάσσεσθαι προεῖπεν ἡμῖν ὁ ἡμέτερος κύριος, ὡς ἐν μηδενὶ ὑστερεῖσθαι ἡμᾶς, ἐπισταμένους ὅτι προγνώστης ἦν τῶν μετὰ τὴν ἀνάστασιν αὐτοῦ τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν νεκρῶν καὶ ἄνοδον τὴν εἰς οὐρανὸν μελλόντων γίνεσθαι ἡμῖν. εἶπε γὰρ ὅτι φονεύεσθαι καὶ μισεῖσθαι διὰ τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ μέλλομεν, καὶ ὅτι ψευδοπροφῆται καὶ ψευδόχριστοι πολλοὶ ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ παρελεύσονται καὶ πολλοὺς πλανήσουσιν: ὅπερ καὶ ἔστι. πολλοὶ γὰρ ἄθεα καὶ βλάσφημα καὶ ἄδικα ἐν ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ παραχαράσσοντες ἐδίδαξαν, καὶ τὰ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀκαθάρτου πνεύματος διαβόλου ἐμβαλλόμενα ταῖς διανοίαις αὐτῶν ἐδίδαξαν καὶ διδάσκουσι μέχρι νῦν: οὓς ὁμοίως ὑμῖν μεταπείθειν μὴ πλανᾶσθαι ἀγωνιζόμεθα, εἰδότες ὅτι πᾶς ὁ δυνάμενος λέγειν τὸ ἀληθὲς καὶ μὴ λέγων κριθήσεται ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ, ὡς διὰ τοῦ Ἰεζεκιὴλ διεμαρτύρατο ὁ θεός, εἰπὼν ὅτι Σκοπὸν τέθεικά σε τῷ οἴκῳ Ἰούδα. ἐὰν ἁμάρτῃ ὁ ἁμαρτωλὸς καὶ μὴ διαμαρτύρῃ αὐτῷ, αὐτὸς μὲν τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ αὐτοῦ ἀπολεῖται, παρὰ σοῦ δὲ τὸ αἷμα αὐτοῦ ἐκζητήσω: ἐὰν δὲ διαμαρτύρῃ αὐτῷ, ἀθῷος ἔσῃ. διὰ δέος οὖν καὶ ἡμεῖς σπουδάζομεν ὁμιλεῖν κατὰ τὰς γραφάς, ἀλλ' οὐ διὰ φιλοχρηματίαν ἢ φιλοδοξίαν ἢ φιληδονίαν: ἐν οὐδενὶ γὰρ τούτων ἐλέγξαι ἡμᾶς ὄντας δύναταί τις. οὐδὲ γὰρ ὁμοίως τοῖς ἄρχουσι τοῦ λαοῦ τοῦ ὑμετέρου θέλομεν ζῆν, οὓς ὀνειδίζει ὁ θεὸς λέγων: Οἱ ἄρχοντες ὑμῶν κοινωνοὶ κλεπτῶν, φιλοῦντες δῶρα, διώκοντες ἀνταπόδομα. εἰ δέ τινας καὶ ἐν ἡμῖν τοιούτους γνωρίζετε, ἀλλ' οὖν γε τὰς γραφὰς καὶ τὸν Χριστὸν διὰ τοὺς τοιούτους μὴ βλασφημῆτε καὶ παρεξηγεῖσθαι σπουδάζητε.