Online Resource Library
Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadChurch Fathers: Post-Nicene Fathers Vol 13: 33.04.06 Letter of an Inquirer Pt VI
TOPIC: Post-Nicene Fathers Vol 13 (Other Topics in this Collection)
SUBJECT: 33.04.06 Letter of an Inquirer Pt VI
Other Subjects in this Topic:
§2. Concerning these things, my beloved, so far as I, in my insignificance, can comprehend, I will instruct thee about them, that while we grant to them that He is man, and(while) we at the same time honour Him and call Him God and Lord, yet it is not in any novel fashion, that we have so called Him, nor that we have applied to Him a novel name, which they themselves did not employ. Yet it is a sure thing with us, that Jesus our Lord is God, the Son of God, and the King, the King's Son, Light of light, Creator and Counsellor, and Guide, and the Way, and Redeemer, and Shepherd, Gatherer, and the Door, and the Pearl, and the Lamp; and by many(such) names is He surnamed. But we shall leave aside all(the rest) of them, and prove concerning Him, that He Who came from God is the Son of God, and(is) God.
§3. For the venerated name of Godhead has been applied also to righteous men, and they have been held worthy to be called by it. And the men with whom God was well pleased, them He called, My sons, and My friends. When He chose Moses His friend and His beloved and made him chief and teacher and priest unto his people he called him God. For He said to him :-I have made thee a God unto Pharaoh.hyperlink And He gave him His priest for a prophet, And Aaron thy brother shall speak for thee unto Pharaoh, and than shalt be unto him as a God, and he shall be unto thee an interpreter.hyperlink Thus not alone to the evil Pharaoh did He make Moses God, but also unto Aaron, the holy priest, He made Moses God.
§4. Again, hear concerning the title Son of God, by which we have called Him. They say that "though God has no son, ye make that crucified Jesus, the firstborn son of God." Yet He called Israel "My first-born," when He sent to Pharaoh through Moses and said to him, Israel is My first-born; I have said unto thee, let My Son go to serve Me, and if thou art not willing to let(him) go, lo! I will slay thy son, they firstborn.hyperlink And also through the Prophethyperlink He testified concerning this, and reproved them and said to the people, Out of Egypt have I called My son. As I called them, so they went and worshipped Baal and offered incense to the graven images. And Isaiah saidhyperlink concerning them, Children have I reared and brought up, and they have rebelled against Me. And again it is written, Ye are the children of the Lord your God.hyperlink And about Solomon He said, He shall be to Me a son, and I will be to him a Father.hyperlink So also we call the Christ, the Son of God, for through Him we have gained the knowledge of God; even as He called Israel My firstborn son, and as He said concerning Solomon, He shall be to Me a son. And we call Him God, even as He surnamed Moses by His own Name. And also David said concerning them:-Ye are Gods and children of the Highest, all of you.hyperlink And when they amended not themselves, therefore He said concerning them:-As men shall ye die, and as one of the princes shall ye fall.hyperlink
§5. For the name of Divinity is given for the highest honour in the world, and with whomsoever God is well pleased, He applies it to him. But however, the names of God are many and are venerable, as He delivered His names to Moses, saying to him:-I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. This is My Name for ever, and this is My memorial unto generations.hyperlink And He called His name Ahiyah ashar Ahiyah, El Shaddai and Adonai Sabaoth.hyperlink By these names is God called. The great and honourable name of Godhead He withheld not from His righteous ones; even as, though He is the great King, without grudging He applied the great and honourable name of Kingship to men who are His creatures.
§6. For by the mouth of His prophet God called the heathen King Nebuchadnezzar, King of Kings. For Jeremiah said:-Every people and kingdom that shall not put his neck into the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar, King of Kings, My servant, with famine and with sword and with pestilence will I visit that people.hyperlink Though He is the great King, He grudges not the name of Kingship to men. And(so), though He is the great God, yet He grudged not the name of Godhead to the sons of flesh. And though all fatherhood is His, He has called men also fathers. For He said to the congregation:-Instead of thy fathers, shall be thy children.hyperlink And though authority is His, He has given men authority one over another. And while worship is His unto honour, He has yet allowed it in the world, that one man should honour another. For even though a man should do worshiphyperlink before the wicked and the heathen and them that refuse grace, yet is he not censured by God. And concerning worship He commanded His people, Thou shall not worship the sun or the moon or all the hosts of heaven; and also ye shall not desire to worship any creature that is upon the earth.hyperlink Behold the grace and the love of our good Maker, that He did not grudge to men the name of Godhead and the name of worship, and the name of Kingship, and the name of authority; because He is the Father of the created things that are over the face of the world, and He has honoured and exalted and glorified men above all creatures. For with His holy hands He fashioned them; and of His Spirit He breathed into them, and a dwelling-place did He become unto them from of old.hyperlink In them doth He abide and amongst them doth He walk. For He said through the prophet, I will dwell in them, and walk in them.hyperlink Furthermore also the Prophet Jeremiah said:-Ye are the temple of the Lord, if ye make fair your ways and your deeds.hyperlink And of old David said:-Thou, Lord, hast been a dwelling-place unto us for generations; before the mountains were conceived and before the earth travailed, and before the world was framed; from age to age Thou art God.hyperlink
§7. How dost thou understand this? For one prophet says:-Lord, Thou hast been our dwelling-place. And another said:-I will dwell in them and walk in them. First, He became to us a dwelling-place, and afterwards He dwelt and walked in us. For the wise both things are true and simple. For David says:-Thou, Lord, hast been our dwelling-place for generations, before the mountains were conceived and before the earth travailed, and before the world was framed. And thou knowest, my beloved, that all created things that are above and that are beneath were created first, and after them all, man. For when God determined to create the world with all its goodly things, first He conceived and fashioned man in His mind; and after that Adam was conceived in His thought, then He conceived the created things; as he said :-Before the mountains were conceived and the earth travailed; because man is older and more ancient in conception than the creatures, but in birth the creatures are older and more ancient than Adam. Adam was conceived and dwelt in the thought of God; and while in conception he(man) was held in His(God's) mind, He(God) by the word of His mouth created all the creatures. And when He had finished and adorned the world, when nothing was lacking in it, then He brought forth Adam from His thoughts, and fashioned man by His hands; and Adam saw the world completed. And He(God) gave him authority over all that He had made, just as a man who has a son and desires to make for him a marriage feast, betroths to him a wife and builds for him a house, and prepares and adorns all that is needed for his son; then he makes the marriage feast and gives his son authority over his house. So after the conception of Adam, He brought him forth and gave him authority over all his creation. Concerning this the Prophet said :-Thou, Lord, hast been our habitation for generations, before the mountains were conceived, and before the earth travailed and before the world was framed. From age unto age Thou art the Lord. That no one should suppose that there is another God, either before or afterwards, he said:-From age and unto age, just as Isaiah said:-I am the first and I am the last.hyperlink And after that God brought forth Adam from within His thought, He fashioned him, and breathed into him of His Spirit, and gave him the knowledge of discernment, that he might discern good from evil, and might know that God made him. And inasmuch as man knew his Maker, God was formed and conceived within his thought, and he became a temple for God his Maker, as it is written, Ye are the temple of God. And(so) He Himself said:-I will dwell in them and walk in them. But as for the sons of Adam, who do not recognise their Maker, He is not formed within them, and does not dwell in them, and is not conceived in their thought; but they are accounted before Him as the beasts, and as the rest of the creatures.
§8. Now by these things the stubborn will be convinced, that it is nothing strange that we call Christ the Son of God. For behold, He(God) conceived all men and brought them forth from His thoughts. And they will be forced to own that the name of Godhead also belongs to Him(Christ), for He(God) associated the righteous also in the name of God. And as to this, that we worship Jesus through Whom we have known God, let them be ashamed, inasmuch as they fill down and worship and honour even the heathen of the unclean Gentiles, if they possess authority; and(for this) there is no blame. And this honour of worship God has given to the sons of Adam, that by it they might honour one another-especially those who excel and are worthy of honour amongst them. For if they worship, and honour with the name of worship, the heathen-those who in their heathen wickedness deny even the name of God-and yet do not worship them as their maker, as though they worshipped them alone, and so do not sin; how much more does it become us to worship and honour Jesus, Who converted our stubborn minds from all worship of vain error, and taught us to worship and serve and minister to the one God, our Father and our Maker. And(taught us) to know that the kings of the world call themselves Gods by the name of the great God, and are infidels and force men to infidelity, and men fall down and worship before them and serve and honour them, like carven images and idols, yet the law never censured these, and there is no sin. As Daniel also used to do worship to Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, the infidel and compeller to infidelity, and was not censured. Joseph also gave worship to Pharaoh, and it is not written that it was a sin for him. But as for us, we are certain that Jesus is God, the Son of God, and through Him we know His Father, an (have) all of us(turned away) from all other worship. Therefore it is impossible for us to repay Him Who bore these things for us. But by worship let us pay Him honour in return for His affliction that was on our behalf.
§9. Furthermore, we must prove that this Jesus was beforehand promised from ancient times in the Prophets, and was called the Son of God. David said:-Thou art My Son; today have I begotten Thee.hyperlink Again he said:-In the glories of holiness, from the womb, from of old, have I begotten thee, a child.hyperlink And Isaiah said:-Unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given, and His government was upon His shoulder, and His Name shall be called Wonderful, and Counsellor, and mighty God of the ages, and Prince of peace. And to the increase of His government and to His peace there is no end.hyperlink Therefore tell me, O wise doctor of Israel, who is He that was born and whose name was called Child and Son and Wonderful and Counsellor, the mighty God of the ages, and Prince of peace, to the increase of whose government and to whose peace(he said), there is no end? For if we call Christ the Son of God, David taught us(this); and that we call Him God, this we learned from Isaiah. And His government was laid upon His shoulder; for He hare His cross, and went out from Jerusalem. And that He was born as a child, Isaiah again said:-Lo, the virgin shall conceive and bear; and His name shall be called Immanuel, which is, our God with us.hyperlink
§10. And if thou shouldest say that Christ has not yet come, I will grant this also to thy contentiousness. For it is written that when He shall come, the Gentiles shall expect Him.hyperlink Lo! I, one of the Gentiles, have heard that Christ is to come. And when as yet He had not come, I beforehand have believed on Him; and through Him I worship the God of Israel. When He comes, will He then blame me because before His coming I beforehand believed on Him? But, thou fool, the prophets suffer thee not to say that Christ has not yet come; for Daniel confutes thee,hyperlink saying:-After sixty-two weeks shall Messiah come and shall be slain. And in His coming shall the Holy City be laid waste, and her end shall be with a flood. And until the accomplishment of the things that are determined, shall she continue in desolation. Thou expectest and hopest that, at the coming of Christ, Israel shall be gathered together from all regions, and Jerusalem shall be built up and inhabited. But Daniel testifies that, when Christ comes and is slain, Jerusalem shall be destroyed, and shall continue in desolation until the accomplishment of the things which are determined, forever. And concerning the suffering of Christ, David said:-They pierced my hands and my feet, and all my bones cried out. They gazed and looked upon me, and divided my garments amongst them, and upon my vesture did they cast the lot.hyperlink And Isaiah said:-Lo! My servant shall be known and shall be revealed and shall be lifted up, so that many shall be astonished at Him. As for this man, His visage shall be marred more than that of man, and His aspect more than that of the sons of men.hyperlink And he said:-He will purify many nations, and kings shall be amazed at Him.hyperlink And he said in that passage:-He came up as a little child before Him, and as a root from the dry ground.hyperlink And in the end of the passage he said:-He shall be slain for our sins; He shall be humiliated for our iniquity; the chastisement of our peace is upon Him, and by His bruises shall we be healed.hyperlink By what wounds were men healed? David was not slain; for he died in a good old age, and was buried in Bethlehem. And if they should say that it is spoken of Saul, for Saul was killed in the mountains of Gilboa in the battle with the Philistines, and if they should say that they pierced his hands and his feet, when they fastened up his body on the wall of Bethshan; yet it does not fitly apply to Saul. When the limbs of Saul were pierced, his bones were not conscious of suffering, because he was dead. It was after Saul died, that they hanged his body and those of his sons on the wall of Bethshan. But when David said, They pierced my hands and my feet, and all my bones cried out, he said in the next verse:-O God, abide for my help, and deliver my soul from the sword.hyperlink Now Christ was delivered from the sword, and ascended from out of Sheol, and revived and rose the third day, and so God abode for His help. But Saul called upon the Lord and He did not answer him; and he asked through the Prophets, but no answer was given to him. And he disguised himself and inquired by soothsayers, and learned from thence. He was worsted before the Philistines, and he slew himself with his own sword, when he saw that the battle had overcome him. Moreover in this passage David said:-I will declare Thy name unto my brethren, and in the midst of the congregation will I glorify Thee.hyperlink How can these things apply to Saul? And again David said:-Thou didst not give Thy holy one to see corruption.hyperlink But all these things fitly apply to Christ. When He came to them, they did not receive Him; but wickedly judged Him by false witness. And He was hung upon the tree by His hands, and they pierced His hands and His feet with the nails which they fastened in him; and all His bones cried out. And on that day a great prodigy happened. namely, that the light became dark in the middle of the day, as Zechariah prophesied, saying:-The day shall be known unto the Lord. It shall not be daytime, and it shall not be night; and at the evening time there shall be light.hyperlink Now what is the day that was distinguished by the prodigy, that it was neither daytime nor night, and that at the evening time there was light? Evidently the day on which they crucified Him, for in the midst of that day there came darkness, and at the evening time there was light. And again he said:-That day there shall be cold and frost.hyperlink -As thou knowest, on that day on which they crucified Him, it was cold, and they had made them a fire to warm themselves when Simon came and stood with them. And again he said:-The spear shall arise against the shepherd, and against the man, My friend;hyperlink and it shall smite the shepherd, and the sheep of his flock shall be scattered; and I will turn back My hand upon the pastor.hyperlink And furthermore David said concerning His Passion:-For My meat they gave gall, and for My thirst did they give Me vinegar to drink.hyperlink -Again he said in that passage:-They have persecuted Him Whom Thou hast smitten; and have added to the affliction of Him that was slain. For they added many(afflictions) to Him, much that was not written concerning Him, cursings and revilings, such as the Scripture could not reveal, for their revilings were hateful. But, however, the Lord was pleased to humiliate Him and afflict Him.hyperlink And He was slain for our iniquity,hyperlink and was humiliated for our sins, and was made sin in His own person.hyperlink
§11. We worship those mercies, and bow the knee before the Majesty of His Father, Who converted our worship to Him. We call Him God, just as Moses(was called God); and Firstborn. and Son, just as Israel(was called); and Jesus(Joshua), just as Joshua the son of Nun was so called; and Priest like Aaron, and King, like David; and great Prophet, like all the Prophets; and Shepherd, like the shepherds who tended and guided Israel. And so did He call children as He said:-Strange children shall hearken unto Me.hyperlink And He has made us brothers unto Himself, He said:-I will declare Thy name unto My brethren.hyperlink And we have become friends unto Him, as He said to His disciples:-I have called you friends,hyperlink even as His Father called Abraham My friend.hyperlink And He said unto us:-I am the good Shepherd, the Door, the Way, the Vine, the Sower, the Bridegroom, the Pearl, the Lamp, the Light, the King, God, Saviour, and Redeemer. And by many names is He surnamed.
§12. This brief argument have I written unto thee, my beloved, that thou mayest make defence against the Jews, concerning this that they say, that God has no son, and concerning this that we call Him God, the Son of God, King, and Firstborn of all creatures.hyperlink
§2. And when I saw that he was blaspheming and speaking much against the Way(the Christian religion), my mind was disturbed, and I understood that he would not admit the interpretation of the words that he quoted to me. Then I also questioned him on sayings from the Law and from the Prophets, and said to him:-Do ye trust that even when ye are dispersed God is with you? And he professed to me, "God is with us, because that God said unto Israel:-Even in the lands of their enemies, I yet did not forsake them, nor did I make void My covenant with them."hyperlink In answer I said to him:-"Right good is this that I have heard from thee, that God is with you. Against thy words will I also speak unto thee. For I said the Prophet said unto Israel, as from the mouth of God:-If thou shall pass through the sea, I will be with thee, and the rivers shall not overflow thee; and if thou shall walk upon fire, thou shall not be burned, and the flame shall not search thee; because the Lord thy God is with thee.hyperlink Thus there is not one righteous and good and wise man out of all your people, who could pass through the sea and live and not be drowned; or(through) the river without its overflowing him; or who could walk over fire and see whether he would not be scorched and whether the flame would not burn him. And if thou shall bring to me an explanation, I will not be persuaded by thee, just as thou also dost not accept from me the interpretation of the words as to which thou hast questioned me."
§3. Furthermore I questioned him about another saying that is written in Ezekiel; namely, that he said to Jerusalem:-Sodom and her daughters shall be built up as of old, and thou and thy daughters shall became as of old.hyperlink So he explained this saying to me, and began to make a defence, and said to me "As to this that God said to Jerusalem by the Prophet, Sodom and her daughters shall be built up as of old, and thou and thy daughters shall become as of old; this is the force of the passage, that Sodom and her daughters shall be in their place as of old, and shall be made subject to Israel; and Jerusalem and her daughters shall be in the splendour of royalty as of old." When I heard this defence from him, it was very contemptible in my eyes, and I said to him:-"Inasmuch as the words of the Prophet were said in wrath, is the whole passage wrathful, or is part of it wrathful and part of it gracious?" He answered:-" A wrathful passage is altogether wrath, and there is no peace in it." And I said to him:-"Since thou hast instructed me that there is no peace in that wrathful passage, hear without contention and blaspheme not, and I will instruct thee about this saying. For from the top to the bottom the whole passage is said in wrath. For he said to Jerusalem:-As I live, saith the Lord God, Sodom and her daughters did not do at all as thou and they daughters have done.hyperlink And he said to her (Jerusalem):-Be abashed and accept thy shame, that thou hast overcome thy sisters in thy sins, and they are justified rattler than thou.hyperlink Since he says that Sodom and her daughters were justified rather than Jerusalem and her daughters, and that Jerusalem overcame Sodom in her sins, it is right that when Israel shall be gathered together, its seat should be in Sodom and Gomorrha. For their vine is of the vine of Sodom, and of the planting of Gomorrha. Their grapes are bitter and their clusters gall unto them.hyperlink And Isaiah also calls them rulers of Sodom, and people of Gomorrha.hyperlink For if Israel is gathered together, in Sodom and Gomorrha ought they to dwell with the rulers of Sodom and with the people of Gomorrha; and on the vine of Sodom and planting of Gomorrha to eat bitter grapes and gather clusters of gall; and to eat the eggs of the basilisk and to clothe` themselves with spiders' webs,hyperlink to be used with wild grapes of the vineyard,hyperlink and to be turned into reprobate silver.hyperlink And Sodom and her daughters, who were justified rather than Jerusalem, shall be built up as of old. And Jerusalem, that surpassed Sodom in her sins, shall continue in her sins, and shall remain in desolation until the accomplishment of the things determined for ever.hyperlink
§4. And Ezekiel said:-This is the iniquity of Sodom and of her daughters, that they did not take by the hand the poor and needy; and when I saw these things in them, I overthrew them.hyperlink And consider and see that, from the time that Sodom was overthrown until Jerusalem was built, there were eight hundred and ninety-six years. From the time that Abraham was informed by God through the Angel that at this time next year I will return to thee, and Sarah thy wife shall have a son,hyperlink from that time till Jacob entered Egypt was a hundred and ninety-one years: and the children of Jacob were in Egypt two hundred and twenty-five years. So all the years from the time that Isaac was conceived and Sodom overthrown were four hundred and sixteen years, and from the Exodus of Israel from Egypt till the great edifice of Jerusalem was built up by Solomon, and the temple was built, there were four hundred and eighty years. Therefore all the years from the conception of Isaac and the overthrow of Sodom till the great building of Jerusalem, were eight hundred and ninety-six years. And from the great building of Jerusalem until the destruction of Jerusalem there were four hundred and twenty-five years. The sum of all the years from the time of the overthrow of Sodom until Jerusalem was laid waste, was one thousand three hundred and twenty-one. These are all the years that Sodom and her daughters were laid waste before Jerusalem. And she that was more just than Jerusalem is not yet inhabited. Therefore the whole sum of the years from the overthrow of Sodom till the six hundred and fifty-fifth year of the Kingdom of Alexander, the son of Philip of Macedon,hyperlink is two thousand two hundred and seventy-six years. And from the time that Jerusalem was laid waste by the Babylonians until the present time is nine hundred and fifty-five years. And Jerusalem has been inhabited, after the Babylonians laid it waste, during those seventy weeks about which Daniel testified. Then it was laid waste in its last destruction by the Romans, and it shall not be inhabited again for ever, for it abideth in desolation until the accomplishment of the things determined.hyperlink So then, all the years of the former and latter desolation of Jerusalem have been four hundred and sixty-five years, and when thou dost deduct from them the seventy years of Babylon, they have been three hundred and ninety-five years.
§5. All this argument have I written to thee, because the Jews pride themselves, (saying), "It has been covenanted to us, that we shall be gathered." For if Sodom, whose iniquity was not so great as that of Jerusalem, is not as yet inhabited, and if we say thus, that it will not be restored for ever, how shall Jerusalem be restored, whose iniquity is greater than that of Sodom and her daughters? As for Sodom God has not had mercy on her for two thousand two hundred and seventy-six years; and shall we say that He will have mercy on Jerusalem? For up to the present there are but three hundred and ninety-five years from the day that she was laid waste, according to the calculation that has been written above. But as to this that he said, Sodom and her daughters shall be possessed as of old,hyperlink and with regard to Jerusalem he said, Thou and thy daughters shall became as of old, this is the force of the passage; that they shall not be inhabited for ever; for the Lord also thus cursed the land against which He was wroth:-It shall not be sown, nor shall it produce, nor shall any herb spring up in it, but it shall be like Sodom and Gomorrha, against which the Lord was wrath and towards which He was not appeased.hyperlink Therefore be sure, my hearer, that Sodom and her daughters shall not be inhabited for ever; but they shall be as of old, namely, as in that time when they were not as yet inhabited, and as in the time when the Lord was wroth with them and was not appeased towards them. And Jerusalem and her daughters shall be as of old, (that is) as in the former time when the mountain of the Amorites lay in desolation, whereon Abraham built the altar, when he bound upon it Isaac his son; and as it was desolate when David bought the threshing-floor from Araunah the Jebusite, and built there the altar. For consider and see that this mountain whereon Abraham offered his son is the mountain of Jebus, which is Jerusalem. And this place of the threshing-floor that David bought of Araunah is that whereon the Temple was built. Thus Jerusalem shall be in desolation as of old. And consider that when Ezekiel prophesied this passage, Jerusalem still was sitting in her greatness, and those who were in her were rebelling against the King of Babylon. And that which the Prophet spoke, he said in wrath and reproach against Jerusalem.
§6. Consider and observe, my hearer, that if God had given a hope to Sodom and to her fellows, He would not have overthrown them with fire and brimstone, the sign of the last day of the world, but would have delivered them over to one of the kingdoms to be chastised. As it is written that when Jeremiah caused the nations and kingdoms to drink the cup of wrath, he said concerning each one of the cities, that after they shall drink the cup, I will turn back the captivity of Elam, of Tyre, of Zidon, of the children of Ammon, and of Moab, and of Edom.hyperlink Concerning each one of these kingdoms he said:-In the last days I well turn back her captivity. Now we see that Tyre was inhabited, and was opulent after she had wandered seventy years,hyperlink and after she had received the reward of her harlotries and after she had committed fornication with all kingdoms. And she took the harp, and played it sweetly, and multiplied her music. And also the region of Elam is inhabited and opulent. And with regard to Babylon Jeremiah said:-Babylon shall fall, and shall not rise.hyperlink And lo! unto this day does it continue in desolation, and will do so for ever. And also about Jerusalem he said:-The virgin of Israel shall fall, and shall not rise again. She is forsaken upon the ground and there is none to raise her up.hyperlink For if the prophecy is true which Jeremiah spoke about Babylon, also that about Jerusalem is true and worthy of faith. And Isaiah said unto Jerusalem:-I will not again be wroth with thee, nor will I reprove thee.hyperlink Of a truth He will not again be wrath with her, nor will He reprove her for ever; for that which is in desolation He will not reprove, nor will she provoke him to wrath.
7. As to those that reproach us (saying):-"Ye are persecuted and are not delivered," let them be ashamed themselves, that at every time they have been persecuted, even for many years before they were delivered. They were made to serve in Egypt two hundred and twenty-five years. And the Midianiteshyperlink made Israel serve in the days of Barak and Deborah.hyperlink The Moabites ruled over them in the days of Ehud;hyperlink the Ammonites in the days of Jephthah;hyperlink the Philistines in the days of Samson,hyperlink and also in the days of Eli and of Samuel the Prophet;hyperlink the Edomites in the days of Ahab; the Assyrians in the days of Hezekiah.hyperlink The king of Babylon uprooted them from their place and dispersed them;hyperlink and after he had tried and persecuted them much, they did not amend, as He said to them:-In vain have I smitten your sons, for they did not accept chastisement.hyperlink And again He said:-I have cut off the Prophets, and slain them by the word of My mouth.hyperlink And to Jerusalem He said:-By afflictions and scourges be instructed, O Jerusalem, lest thy life depart from thee.hyperlink But they forsook Him, and worshipped idols, as Jeremiah said concerning them:hyperlink -Go to the distant isles, and send to Kedar, and consider well and see, whether there has been (anything) like this, whether the nations change their gods, those that are no gads. But My people has changed My honour for that which is not profitable. Be astonished, ye heavens, at this; and quake and fear greatly, saith the Lord; because My people have done two wickednesses; they have abandoned Me, the fountain of the water of life, and they have gone and dug for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns which cannot hold water. For the broken cisterns are the fear of images and idols. And He calls the heavens to astonishment, because they worshipped the hosts of the heavens. And the heavens shall receive as a penalty, that they shall be rolled up as a scroll, and all the host of them shall fall down.hyperlink
§8. All this discourse that I have written unto thee, my beloved, from the beginning, was because the Jew reproached the children of our people; but now, as far as I can comprehend, I will instruct thee about the persecuted, that they have received a great reward, while the persecutors have come to scorn and contempt.
§9. Jacob was persecuted, and Esau was a persecutor. Jacob received the blessings and the birthright, while Esau was cast out from both. Joseph was persecuted, and his brothers were persecutors; Joseph was exalted and his persecutors bowed down before him, and so his dreams and his visions were fulfilled. Joseph who was persecuted was a type of the persecuted Jesus. His father clothed Joseph in a tunic of divers colours; and His Father clothed Jesus with a body (taken) from the Virgin. His father loved Joseph more than his brethren, and Jesus is the dear and beloved one of His Father. Joseph saw visions and dreamed dreams; Jesus fulfilled the visions and the Prophets. Joseph was a shepherd with his brethren; and Jesus is the Chief of Shepherds. When his father sent Joseph to visit his brethren, they saw him coming and plotted to kill him; and when His Father sent Jesus to visit His brethren, they said:-This is the heir; come, let us kill him.hyperlink His brethen cast Joseph lute the pit; and His brethren brought down Jesus lute the abode of the dead. Joseph ascended from the pit and Jesus arose from the abode of the dead. Joseph, after he arose from the pit, had authority over his brethen; and after Jesus arose from the abode of the dead, His Father gave Him a great dud excellent name,hyperlink that His brethren should serve Him, and His enemies be put beneath His feet. After that Joseph was made known to his brethren, they were abashed and feared and were amazed at his greatness; and when Jesus shall come at the last time, when He shall be revealed in His Majesty, His brethren will be abashed and fear and be dismayed before Him, because they crucified Him. Moreover, Joseph, by the counsel of Judah, was sold into Egypt; and Jesus, by the hands of Judas Iscariot, was delivered over to the Jews. When they sold Joseph, he answered nothing to his brethren; Jesus also spake not and gave no answer to the judges who judged Him. His master wrongfully delivered over Joseph to the prison; and His countrymen wrongfully condemned Jesus. Joseph delivered over his two garments, one into the hand of his brethren, and the other into the hand of his master's wife; and Jesus delivered over His garments and divided them between the soldiers. Joseph, when thirty years old, stood before Pharaoh and became lord of Egypt; and Jesus, when about thirty years old, came to the Jordan to be baptized, and received the spirit, and went forth to preach. Joseph nourished Egypt with bread; and Jesus nourished the whole world with the bread of life. Joseph took to wife the daughter of the wicked and unclean priest; and Jesus espoused to Himself the Church (taken) from the unclean Gentiles. Joseph died and was buried in Egypt; and Jesus died and was buried in Jerusalem. Joseph's bones his brethren brought up from Egypt; and Jesus His Father raised from the abode of the dead, and took up His Body with Him to heaven uncorrupted.
Footnotes
1 Deut xxxii. 39.
2 Exod. xxxiv. 14.
3 Ex. vi. 1
4 Ex. vii. 1.
5 Ex. iv. 22,23.
6 Hos.xi.1, 2.
7 Is. i. 2.
8 Deut. xiv. 1.
9 2 Sam. viii. 14.
10 Ps. lxxxii. 6
11 Ib. 7
12 Exod. iii. 6, 15.
13 Gen. xvii.1; Exod. iii. 14; Jer. xxxii. 18. The Hebrew has "Jehovah Sabaoth."
14 Jer. xxvii. 8. The Hebrew has "King of Babylon," and so the Peshitto. But Nebuchadnezzar is addressed as "King of Kings," Daniel ii. 37.
15 Ps. xlv. 17.
16 I.e., homage, outward reverence.
17 Deut. iv. 17.
18 Gen. ii. 7 ; Ps xc. 1.
19 Lev. xxvi. 12.
20 Jer. vii. 4, 5.
21 Ps. xc. 1, 2.
22 Is. xliv. 6; xlviii.12
23 Ps. ii. 7.
24 Ps. cx. 3 (Pesh).
25 Is. ix. 6, 7.
26 Is. vii. 14 ; Matt. i. 23.
27 Gen. xlix. 10. So in Peshitto; similarly in septuagint.
28 Dan. ix. 26, 27.
29 Ps xxii. 17-19.
30 Is lii. 13, 14.
31 Is. lii. 15.
32 Is. liii. 2.
33 Is. liii. 5.
34 Ps. xxii. 17, 18.
35 Ps. xxii. 23.
36 Ps. xvi. 10.
37 Zech. xiv. 7.
38 Zech. xiv. 6. So in Peshitto ; also in Septuagint. Cp. margin of Revised Version.
39 This is so read in one Syriac ms. ; for "the sheep, my friends," which the other gives.
40 Zech. xiii. 7 ; S. Matt. xxvi. 31 ; S. Mark, xiv. 27.
41 Ps. lxix. 22, 27.
42 Is. liii. 10.
43 Ib. liii. 5.
44 2 Cor. v. 21.
45 Ps. xxiii. 45.
46 Ps. xxii. 23
47 John xv. 15.
48 Is. xli. 8.
49 Col. i. 15.
1 Matt. xvii. 19; xxi. 22.
2 Lev. xxvi. 44.
3 Is. xliii. 2, 3.
4 Ezek.xvi.55.
5 Ezek. xvi. 48.
6 Ezek. xvi. 52.
7 Deut. xxxii.32.
8 Is. i.10.
9 Is. lix. 5.
10 Is v. 2.
11 Jer. vi. 30.
12 Dan. ix. 27.
13 Ezek. xvi. 49.
14 Gen. xviii 14:
15 I.e., a.d. 344, in which year this was written. Cp. Dem. XXII. 25.
16 Dan. ix. 27.
17 Ezek. xvi. 55.
18 Deut. xxix 23.
19 Jer. xxv. 15-27 ; xlviii. 47 ; xlix. 6, 39.
20 Is. xxiii. 15, 16, 17.
21 Jer.li. 64.
22 Amos v. 1-2.
23 Is. liv. 9.
24 Rather, the Canaanites.
25 Judges iv. 2.
26 Judges iii. 12.
27 Judges xi. 5.
28 Judges xiii. 1-24.
29 1 Sam. iv. I. sq.
30 1 Kings xx. 11.
31 2 Kings xviii. 9, 13; xxv. 1. sq.
32 Jer. ii. 30.
33 Hos. vi. 5.
34 Jer. vi. 7, 8.
35 Jer. ii. 10-13.
36 Is. xxxiv. 4.
37 Matt xxi. 38.
38 Phil. ii. 9.