105
Excluded from this, they might refer the oracle to David or one of the kings of the Jewish nation who came from him, and so it must be shown that neither David nor any other of the distinguished men ever among the Hebrews is recorded as either being called son of God, or begotten by God according to what is declared in the psalm, nor, for that matter, conspired against by all the nations and kings and rulers and peoples. But if none of them is shown to be so, but all these things are established by the deeds themselves, and the Christ of God, having endured them long ago and now, still today, is warred against by kings and rulers and nations and peoples, what is to prevent him from being the one prophesied through the oracle which said: “The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against his Christ.” And to him alone would the following parts of the psalm apply, through which it is said: “The Lord said to me, You are my Son, today I have begotten you; Ask of me, and I will give you the nations for your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for your possession.” 4.16.6 For these things also have indisputably found the fulfillment of the prophecy in him alone, when of his disciples “their sound went out into all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.” 4.16.7 But the word, having proclaimed it, expressly names the Christ, as if from his own person teaching that he is the son of God, through “The Lord said to me, You are my Son, today I have begotten you.” To which you will add that in Proverbs, again from his person, spoken thus: “Before the mountains were settled, and before all the hills, he begets me,” and that in the 109th psalm addressed to him by the Father according to: “from the womb before the morning star I have begotten you.” 4.16.8 But observe that the holy scriptures proclaim one and the same, by name Christ and also son of God, conspired against by men, who will receive the nations as an inheritance, and will rule to the ends of the earth, signifying his economy toward men by two proofs: both through the conspiracy against him and through the subjection of the nations under him. 4.16.9 Of the 19th Psalm. “May the Lord fulfill all your petitions. Now I know that the Lord has saved his Christ; he will hear him from his holy heaven.” Since the present task is to show by how many passages Christ is proclaimed by name in the prophecies, I naturally adduce these also which clearly preach the Christ. 4.16.10 But the whole psalm, from the person of holy men, sends up a prayer to the person of Christ. For since, having become man, he undertook every outrage for us and on our behalf, we are taught to pray with him as he prays and asks the Father on our behalf, as one repelling the wars against us, whether visible or invisible. Therefore we also say in mind to him from the psalm which has it thus: “May the Lord hear you in the day of your affliction, may the name of the God of Jacob defend you. May he send you help from the sanctuary, and support you out of Sion.” 4.16.11 Then, since it is proper for him, being a great high priest, to perform on our behalf the spiritual rites in doxologies and theologies, and since as a priest he offered up both himself and the man whom he took up from the earth as a whole burnt offering for us to God the Father, for this reason we say to him: “May he be mindful of all your sacrifice, and may your whole burnt offering be made fat.” 4.16.12 And since all things that he plans are salvific and beneficial in the world, we reasonably exclaim to him, saying, “May the Lord give to you according to your heart,” “and fulfill all your counsel.” 4.16.13 After which, confessing his resurrection from the dead, we say: “Let us rejoice in your salvation.” For what else could the salvation of Christ be understood as, if not his resurrection from the dead, through which he also raises up all who had previously fallen? Wherefore we say: “and in the name of our God
105
ἐντεῦθεν ἀποκλεισθέντες ἐπὶ τὸν ∆αβὶδ ἤ τινα τῶν ἐξ αὐτοῦ γενομένων βασιλέων τοῦ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνους ἀναφέροιεν τὸν χρησμόν, καὶ οὕτω δεικτέον, ὡς οὔτε ∆αβὶδ οὔθ' ἕτερός τις τῶν πώποτε παρ' Ἑβραίοις διαφανῶν ἱστόρηται οὔθ' υἱὸς χρηματίσας τοῦ θεοῦ, οὔθ' ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ γεγεννημένος κατὰ τὸν ἐν τῷ ψαλμῷ θεσπιζόμενον, οὐδ' ἄρα ὑπὸ πάντων τῶν ἐθνῶν καὶ βασιλέων ἀρχόντων τε καὶ λαῶν ἐπιβεβουλευμένος. εἰ δ' οὐδεὶς ἐκείνων δείκνυται, αὐτοῖς δὲ ἔργοις συνίσταται ταῦτα πάντα καὶ πάλαι μὲν ὑπομείνας καὶ νῦν δὲ ἔτι καὶ σήμερον ὑπό τε βασιλέων καὶ ἀρχόντων ἐθνῶν τε καὶ λαῶν πολεμούμενος ὁ Χριστὸς τοῦ θεοῦ, τί τὸ ἐμποδὼν μὴ οὐχὶ αὐτὸν εἶναι τὸν προφητευόμενον διὰ τοῦ φήσαντος λογίου· «παρέστησαν οἱ βασιλεῖς τῆς γῆς, καὶ οἱ ἄρχοντες συνήχθησαν ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ κατὰ τοῦ κυρίου καὶ κατὰ τοῦ χριστοῦ αὐτοῦ». μόνῳ δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ τὰ ἐπιφερόμενα ἁρμόττοι ἂν τοῦ ψαλμοῦ δι' ὧν εἴρηται· «κύριος εἶπεν πρός με, υἱός μου εἶ σύ, ἐγὼ σήμερον γεγέννηκά σε· αἴτησαι παρ' ἐμοῦ, καὶ δώσω σοι ἔθνη τὴν κληρονομίαν σου, καὶ τὴν κατάσχεσίν σου τὰ πέρατα τῆς γῆς». 4.16.6 καὶ γὰρ καὶ ταῦτα ἀναμφίλεκτον ἐπὶ μόνου αὐτοῦ τὴν ἔκβασιν τῆς προφητείας ἀνείληφεν, ὅτε τῶν αὐτοῦ μαθητῶν «εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν ἐξῆλθεν ὁ φθόγγος, καὶ εἰς τὰ πέρατα τῆς οἰκουμένης τὰ ῥήματα αὐτῶν». 4.16.7 διαρρήδην δὲ τὸν Χριστὸν ὀνομάζει προαγορεύσας ὁ λόγος, ὡς ἂν ἐξ αὐτοῦ προσώπου διδάσκων αὐτὸν εἶναι τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ, διὰ τοῦ «κύριος εἶπεν πρός με, υἱός μου εἶ σύ, ἐγὼ σήμερον γεγέννηκά σε». ᾧ παραθήσεις καὶ τὸ ἐν Παροιμίαις πάλιν ἐξ αὐτοῦ προσώπου ὧδέ πως εἰρημένον· «πρὸ τοῦ ὄρη ἑδρασθῆναι, πρὸ δὲ πάντων βουνῶν γεννᾷ με», τό τε ἐν ρθʹ ψαλμῷ πρὸς τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτῷ προσπεφωνημένον κατὰ τὸ «ἐκ γαστρὸς πρὸ ἑωσφόρου γεγέννηκά σε». 4.16.8 ἐπίστησον δέ, ὡς ἕνα καὶ τὸν αὐτὸν ὀνομαστὶ Χριστὸν ὁμοῦ καὶ υἱὸν θεοῦ ὑπ' ἀνθρώπων ἐπιβουλευόμενον, καὶ κλῆρον τὰ ἔθνη ληψόμενον, περάτων τε γῆς κρατήσοντα θεσπίζουσιν αἱ ἱεραὶ γραφαί, δυσὶ τεκμηρίοις τὴν εἰς ἀνθρώπους οἰκονομίαν αὐτοῦ σημαίνουσαι, διά τε τῆς κατ' αὐτοῦ συσκευῆς καὶ διὰ τῆς ὑπ' αὐτὸν τῶν ἐθνῶν ὑποταγῆς. 4.16.9 Ψαλμοῦ ιθʹ. «Πληρώσαι κύριος πάντα τὰ αἰτήματά σου. νῦν ἔγνων ὅτι ἔσωσεν κύριος τὸν χριστὸν αὐτοῦ· ἐπακούσεται αὐτοῦ ἐξ οὐρανοῦ ἁγίου αὑτοῦ.» Ἐπεὶ πρόκειται νῦν παραστῆσαι δι' ὅσων ὀνομαστὶ ὁ Χριστὸς ἐν ταῖς προφητείαις ἀνηγόρευται, εἰκότως καὶ ταῦτα παρατίθεμαι ἐναργῶς κηρύττοντα τὸν Χριστόν. 4.16.10 ὅλος δὲ ὁ ψαλμὸς ἐκ προσώπου τῶν ἁγίων ἀνδρῶν εὐχὴν ἀναπέμπει εἰς τὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ πρόσωπον. ἐπειδὴ γὰρ δι' ἡμᾶς καὶ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν πᾶσαν ἀνεδέξατο ὕβριν ἐνανθρωπήσας, εὐχομένῳ αὐτῷ καὶ δεομένῳ τοῦ πατρὸς ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν διδασκόμεθα συνεύχεσθαι, οἷα δὴ τοὺς καθ' ἡμῶν πολέμους εἴτε ὁρατοὺς εἴτε καὶ ἀοράτους ἀμυνομένῳ. διὸ καί φαμεν ἐν νῷ πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀπὸ τοῦ ψαλμοῦ οὕτως ἔχοντα· «ἐπακούσαι σου κύριος ἐν ἡμέρᾳ θλίψεώς σου, ὑπερασπίσαι σου τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ θεοῦ Ἰακώβ. ἐξαποστείλαι σοι βοήθειαν ἐξ ἁγίου, καὶ ἐκ Σιὼν ἀντιλάβοιτό σου». 4.16.11 εἶτ' ἐπειδήπερ ἐστὶν οἰκεῖον αὐτῷ, ἅτε μεγάλῳ ὄντι ἀρχιερεῖ, τὰς ἐν δοξολογίαις καὶ θεολογίαις πνευματικὰς ἱερουργίας ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἐκτελεῖν, καὶ ἐπειδήπερ οἷά τε ἱερεὺς αὐτός τε ἑαυτὸν καὶ ὃν ἀνείληφεν ἀπὸ γῆς ἄνθρωπον ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ὁλοκαύτωμα προσανήνεγκεν τῷ θεῷ καὶ πατρί, διὰ τοῦτό φαμεν αὐτῷ· «μνησθείη πάσης θυσίας σου, καὶ τὸ ὁλοκαύτωμά σου πιανάτω». 4.16.12 καὶ ἐπεὶ πάντα ὅσα βουλεύεται σωτήριά ἐστιν καὶ ὠφέλιμα ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ, εἰκότως ἐπιφωνοῦμεν αὐτῷ, «δῴη σοι κύριος κατὰ τὴν καρδίαν σου» λέγοντες, «καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν βουλήν σου πληρώσαι». 4.16.13 οἷς ἑξῆς τὴν ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀνάστασιν αὐτοῦ ὁμολογοῦντές φαμεν· «ἀγαλλιασώμεθα ἐν τῷ σωτηρίῳ σου». σωτήριον γὰρ τοῦ Χριστοῦ τί ἂν ἕτερον νοοῖτο, εἰ μὴ ἡ ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀνάστασις αὐτοῦ, δι' ἧς καὶ πάντας τοὺς πρὶν ἐκπεπτωκότας ἀνίστησιν; ὅθεν φαμέν· «καὶ ἐν ὀνόματι θεοῦ ἡμῶν