Chapter CXXVI.—The various names of Christ according to both natures. It is shown that He is God, and appeared to the patriarchs.

“But if you knew, Trypho,” continued I, “who He is that is called at one time the Angel of great counsel,492    [By Isaiah. “Counsellor” in English version.] and a Man by Ezekiel, and like the Son of man by Daniel, and a Child by Isaiah, and Christ and God to be worshipped by David, and Christ and a Stone by many, and Wisdom by Solomon, and Joseph and Judah and a Star by Moses, and the East by Zechariah, and the Suffering One and Jacob and Israel by Isaiah again, and a Rod, and Flower, and Corner-Stone, and Son of God, you would not have blasphemed Him who has now come, and been born, and suffered, and ascended to heaven; who shall also come again, and then your twelve tribes shall mourn. For if you had understood what has been written by the prophets, you would not have denied that He was God, Son of the only, unbegotten, unutterable God. For Moses says somewhere in Exodus the following: ‘The Lord spoke to Moses, and said to him, I am the Lord, and I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, being their God; and my name I revealed not to them, and I established my covenant with them.’493    Ex. vi. 2 ff. And thus again he says, ‘A man wrestled with Jacob,’494    Gen. xxxii. 24, 30. and asserts it was God; narrating that Jacob said, ‘I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.’ And it is recorded that he called the place where He wrestled with him, appeared to and blessed him, the Face of God (Peniel). And Moses says that God appeared also to Abraham near the oak in Mamre, when he was sitting at the door of his tent at mid-day. Then he goes on to say: ‘And he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, three men stood before him; and when he saw them, he ran to meet them.’495    Gen. xviii. 2. After a little, one of them promises a son to Abraham: ‘Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, and I am old? Is anything impossible with God? At the time appointed I will return, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son. And they went away from Abraham.’496    Gen. xviii. 13 f. Again he speaks of them thus: ‘And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom.’497    Gen. xviii. 16. Then to Abraham He who was and is again speaks: ‘I will not hide from Abraham, my servant, what I intend to do.’ ”498    Gen. xviii. 17. And what follows in the writings of Moses I quoted and explained; “from which I have demonstrated,” I said, “that He who is described as God appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, and the other patriarchs, was appointed under the authority of the Father and Lord, and ministers to His will.” Then I went on to say what I had not said before: “And so, when the people desired to eat flesh, and Moses had lost faith in Him, who also there is called the Angel, and who promised that God would give them to satiety, He who is both God and the Angel, sent by the Father, is described as saying and doing these things. For thus the Scripture says: ‘And the Lord said to Moses, Will the Lord’s hand not be sufficient? thou shalt know now whether my word shall conceal thee or not.’499    Num. xi. 23. And again, in other words, it thus says: ‘But the Lord spake unto me, Thou shalt not go over this Jordan: the Lord thy God, who goeth before thy face, He shall cut off the nations.’500    Deut. xxxi. 2 f.

[126] Τίς δ' ἐστὶν οὗτος, ὃς καὶ ἄγγελος μεγάλης βουλῆς ποτε, καὶ ἀνὴρ διὰ Ἰεζεκιήλ, καὶ ὡς υἱὸς ἀνθρώπου διὰ Δανιήλ, καὶ παιδίον διὰ Ἠσαίου, καὶ Χριστὸς καὶ θεὸς προσκυνητὸς διὰ Δαυείδ, καὶ Χριστὸς καὶ λίθος διὰ πολλῶν, καὶ σοφία διὰ Σολομῶνος, καὶ Ἰωσὴφ καὶ Ἰούδας καὶ ἄστρον διὰ Μωυσέως, καὶ ἀνατολὴ διὰ Ζαχαρίου, καὶ παθητὸς καὶ Ἰακὼβ καὶ Ἰσραὴλ πάλιν διὰ Ἠσαίου, καὶ ῥάβδος καὶ ἄνθος καὶ λίθος ἀκρογωνιαῖος κέκληται καὶ υἱὸς θεοῦ, εἰ ἐγνώκειτε, ὦ Τρύφων, ἔφην, οὐκ ἂν ἐβλασφημεῖτε εἰς αὐτὸν ἤδη καὶ παραγενόμενον καὶ γεννηθέντα καὶ παθόντα καὶ ἀναβάντα εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν: ὃς καὶ πάλιν παρέσται, καὶ τότε κόψονται ὑμῶν αἱ δώδεκα φυλαί. ἐπεὶ εἰ νενοήκατε τὰ εἰρημένα ὑπὸ τῶν προφητῶν, οὐκ ἂν ἐξηρνεῖσθε αὐτὸν εἶναι θεόν, τοῦ μόνου καὶ ἀγεννήτου καὶ ἀρρήτου θεοῦ υἱόν. εἴρηται γάρ που καὶ διὰ Μωυσέως ἐν τῇ Ἐξόδῳ οὕτως: Ἐλάλησε δὲ κύριος πρὸς Μωυσῆν, καὶ εἶπε πρὸς αὐτόν: Ἐγώ εἰμι κύριος, καὶ ὤφθην πρὸς τὸν Ἀβραὰμ καὶ Ἰσαὰκ καὶ Ἰακώβ, θεὸς αὐτῶν, καὶ τὸ ὄνομά μου οὐκ ἐδήλωσα αὐτοῖς, καὶ ἔστησα τὴν διαθήκην μου πρὸς αὐτούς. καὶ οὕτω πάλιν λέγει: Μετὰ Ἰακὼβ ἄνθρωπος ἐπάλαιε: καὶ θεόν φησιν εἶναι: Εἶδον γὰρ θεὸν πρόσωπον πρὸς πρόσωπον, καὶ ἐσώθη ἡ ψυχή μου, λέγει εἰρηκέναι τὸν Ἰακώβ. καὶ ὅτι καὶ τὸν τόπον, ὅπου αὐτῷ ἐπάλαισε καὶ ὤφθη καὶ εὐλόγησε, καὶ ἐκάλεσεν Εἶδος θεοῦ, ἀνέγραψε. καὶ τῷ Ἀβραὰμ ὁμοίως, Μωυσῆς φησιν, ὤφθη ὁ θεὸς πρὸς τῇ δρυῒ τῇ Μαμβρῆ, καθημένῳ ἐπὶ τῆς θύρας τῆς σκηνῆς αὐτοῦ μεσημβρίας. εἶτα ταῦτα εἰπὼν ἐπιφέρει: Ἀναβλέψας δὲ τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς εἶδε καὶ ἰδοὺ τρεῖς ἄνδρες εἱστήκεισαν ἐπάνω αὐτοῦ. καὶ ἰδὼν συνέδραμεν εἰς συνάντησιν αὐτοῖς. μετ' ὀλίγον δὲ εἷς ἐξ αὐτῶν ὑπισχνεῖται τῷ Ἀβραὰμ υἱόν: Τί ὅτι ἐγέλασε Σάρρα λέγουσα: Ἆρά γε τέξομαι; ἐγὼ δὲ γεγήρακα. μὴ ἀδυνατεῖ παρὰ τῷ θεῷ ῥῆμα; εἰς τὸν καιρὸν τοῦτον ἀποστρέψω εἰς ὥρας, καὶ ἔσται τῇ Σάρρᾳ υἱός. καὶ ἀπαλλάσσονται ἀπὸ Ἀβραάμ. καὶ οὕτω περὶ αὐτῶν πάλιν λέγει: Ἐξαναστάντες δὲ ἐκεῖθεν οἱ ἄνδρες κατέβλεψαν ἐπὶ πρόσωπον Σοδόμων. εἶτα πάλιν πρὸς τὸν Ἀβραὰμ ὃς ἦν καὶ ἔστιν οὕτως λέγει: Οὐ μὴ κρύψω ἀπὸ τοῦ παιδός μου Ἀβραὰμ ἐγὼ ἃ μέλλω ποιεῖν: καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς ἀνιστορημένα ἀπὸ τῶν τοῦ Μωυσέως καὶ ἐξηγημένα ὑπ' ἐμοῦ πάλιν ἔλεγον, δι' ὧν ἀποδέδεικται ὑπὸ τῷ πατρὶ καὶ κυρίῳ τεταγμένος καὶ ὑπηρετῶν τῇ βουλῇ αὐτοῦ οὗτος ὃς ὤφθη τῷ τε Ἀβραὰμ καὶ τῷ Ἰσαὰκ καὶ τῷ Ἰακὼβ καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις πατριάρχαις, ἀναγεγραμμένος θεός, ἔλεγον. ἐπέφερον δέ, εἰ καὶ μὴ εἶπον ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν: Οὕτω δὲ καί, ὅτε κρέας ἐπεθύμησεν ὁ λαὸς φαγεῖν καὶ ἀπιστεῖ Μωυσῆς τῷ λελεγμένῳ κἀκεῖ ἀγγέλῳ, ἐπαγγελλομένῳ δώσειν αὐτοῖς τὸν θεὸν εἰς πλησμονήν, αὐτός, ὢν καὶ θεὸς καὶ ἄγγελος παρὰ τοῦ πατρὸς πεπεμμένος, ταῦτα εἰπεῖν καὶ πρᾶξαι δηλοῦται. οὕτως γὰρ ἐπάγει ἡ γραφὴ λέγουσα: Καὶ εἶπε κύριος πρὸς Μωυσῆν: Μὴ ἡ χεὶρ κυρίου οὐκ ἐξαρκέσει; ἤδη γνώσῃ εἰ ἐπικαταλήψεταί σε ὁ λόγος μου ἢ οὔ. καὶ πάλιν ἐν ἄλλοις λόγοις οὕτως φησί: Κύριος δὲ εἶπε πρός με: Οὐ διαβήσῃ τὸν Ἰορδάνην τοῦτον. κύριος ὁ θεός σου, ὁ προπορευόμενος τοῦ προσώπου σου, αὐτὸς ἐξολοθρεύσει τὰ ἔθνη.