Book III. Of the Harmony of the Fathers of the Old and New Testaments.
Now hath the mother, formerly surnamed
Barren, giv’n birth: (Isa_54:1; Gal_4:27) now a new people, born
From the free woman, (Gal_4:19-31) joys: (the slave expelled,
Deservedly, with her proud progeny;
5
Who also leaves ungratefully behind
The waters of the living fount,115 and drinks -
Errant on heated plains - ’neath glowing star:116),
Now can the Gentiles as their parent claim
Abraham; who, the Lord’s voice following
10
Like him, have all things left, (See Mat_19:27; Mar_10:28; Luk_18:28) life’s pilgrimage
To enter. “Be glad, barren one;” conceive
The promised people; “break thou out, and cry,”
Who with no progeny wert blest; of whom
Spake, through the seers, the Spirit of old time :
15
She hath borne, out of many nations, one;
With whose beginning are her pious limbs
Ever in labour.
Hers “just Abel” (See Mat_23:35) was,
A pastor and a cattle-master he;
Whom violence of brother’s right hand slew
20
Of old. Her Enoch, signal ornament,
Limb from her body sprung, by counsel strove
To recall peoples gone astray from God
And following misdeed, (while raves on earth
The horde of robber-renegades,117) to flee
25
The giants’ sacrilegious cruel race;
Faithful in all himself. With groaning deep118
Did he please God, and by deservèd toil
Translated119 is reservèd as a pledge,
With honour high. Perfect in praise, and found
30
Faultless, and just - God witnessing120 the fact -
In an adulterous people, Noah (he
Who in twice fifty years121 the ark did weave)
By deeds and voice the coming ruin told.
Favour he won, snatched out of so great waves
35
Of death, and, with his progeny, preserved.
Then, in the generation122 following,
Is Abraham, whose sons ye do deny
Yourselves to be; who first - race, country, sire,
All left behind - at suasion of God’s voice
40
Withdrew to realms extern: such honours he
At God’s sublime hand worthily deserved
As to be father to believing tribes
And peoples. Jacob with the patriarchs
(Himself their patriarch) through all his own
45
Life’s space the gladdest times of Christ foresang
By words, act, virtue, toil.
Him follows - free
From foul youth’s stain - Joseph, by slander feigned,
Doomed to hard penalty and gaol: his groans
Glory succeeds, and the realm’s second crown,
50
And in dearth’s time large power of furnishing
Bread: so appropriate a type of Christ,
So lightsome type of Light, is manifest
To all whose mind hath eyes, that they may see
In a face-mirror123 their sure hope.
Himself
55
The patriarch Judah, see; the origin
152 Of royal line,124 whence leaders rose, nor kings
Failed ever from his seed, until the Power
To come, by Gentiles looked for, promised long,
Came.
Moses, leader of the People, (he
60
Who, spurning briefly-blooming riches, left
The royal thresholds,) rather chose to bear
His people’s toils, afflicted, with bowed neck,
By no threats daunted, than to gain himself
Enjoyments, and of many penalties
65
Remission: admirable for such faith
And love, he, with God’s virtue armed, achieved
Great exploits: smote the nation through with plagues;
And left their land behind, and their hard king
Confounds, and leads the People back; trod waves;
70
Sunk the foes down in waters; through a “tree”125
Made ever-bitter waters sweet; spake much
(Manifestly to the People) with the Christ,126
From whose face light and brilliance in his own
Reflected shone; dashed on the ground the law
75
Accepted through some few,127 - implicit type,
And sure, of his own toils! - smote through the rock;
And, being bidden, shed forth streams; and stretched
His hands that, by a sign,128 he vanquish might
The foe; of Christ all severally, all129
80
Combined through Christ, do speak. Great and approved,
He130 rests with praise and peace.
But Joshua,
The son of Nun, erst called Oshea - this man
The Holy Spirit to Himself did join
As partner in His name:131 hence did he cleave
85
The flood; constrained the People to pass o’er;
Freely distributed the land - the prize
Promised the fathers! - stayed both sun and moon
While vanquishing the foe; races extern
And giants’ progeny outdrave; razed groves;
90
Altars and temples levelled; and with mind
Loyal132 performed all due solemnities:
Type of Christ’s name; his virtue’s image.
What
Touching the People’s Judges shall I say
Singly? whose virtues,133 it unitedly
95
Recorded, fill whole volumes numerous
With space of words. But yet the order due
Of filling out the body of my words,
Demands that, out of many, I should tell
The life of few.
Of whom when Gideon, guide
100
Of martial band, keen to attack the foe,
(Not keen to gain for his own family,
By virtue,134 tutelary dignity,135)
And needing to be strengthened136 in the faith
Excited in his mind, seeks for a sign
105
Whereby he either could not, or could, wage
Victorious war; to wit, that with the dew
A fleece, exposèd for the night, should be
Moistened, and all the ground lie dry around
(By this to show that, with the world,137 should dry138
110
The enemies’ palm); and then again, the fleece
Alone remaining dry, the earth by night
Should with the self-same139 moisture be bedewed:
153 For by this sign he prostrated the heaps
Of bandits; with Christ’s People ’countering them
115
Without much soldiery, with cavalry140
Three hundred - the Greek letter Tau, in truth,
That number is141 - with torches armed, and horns
Of blowers with the mouth: then142 was the fleece,
The people of Christ’s sheep, from holy seed
120
Born (for the earth means nations various,
And scattered through the orb), which fleece the word
Nourishes; night death’s image; Tau the sign
Of the dear cross; the horn the heraldings
Of life; the torches shining in their stand143
125
The glowing Spirit: and this testing, too,
Forsooth, an image of Christ’s virtue was:144
To teach that death’s fierce battles should not be
By trump angelic vanquishèd before
Th’ indocile People be deservèdly
130
By their own fault left desolate behind,
And Gentiles, flourishing in faith, received
In praise.
Yea, Deborah, a woman far
Above all fame, appears; who, having braced
Herself for warlike toil, for country’s sake,
135
Beneath the palm-tree sang how victory
Had crowned her People; thanks to whom it was
That the foes, vanquisht, turned at once their backs,
And Sisera their leader fled; whose flight
No man, nor any band, arrested: him,
140
Suddenly renegade, a woman’s hand -
Jael’s145 - With wooden weapon vanquished quite,
For token of Christ’s victory.
With firm faith
Jephthah appears, who a deep-wounding vow
Dared make - to promise God a grand reward
145
Of war: him146 then, because he senselessly
Had promised what the Lord not wills, first meets
The pledge147 dear to his heart; who suddenly
Fell by a lot unhoped by any. He,
To keep his promise, broke the sacred laws
150
Of parenthood: the shade of mighty fear
Did in his violent mind cover his vow
Of sin: as solace of his widowed life
For148 wickedness, renown, and, for crime, praise,
He won.
Nor Samson’s strength, all corporal might
155
Passing, must we forget; the Spirit’s gift
Was this; the power was granted to his head.149
Alone he for his People, daggerless,
Armless, an ass-jaw grasping, prostrated
A thousand corpses; and no bonds could keep
160
The hero bound: but after his shorn pride
Forsook him thralled, he fell, and, by his death, -
Though vanquisht, - bought his foes back ’neath his power.
Marvellous Samuel, who first received
The precept to anoint kings, to give chrism
165
And show men-Christs,150 so acted laudably
In life’s space as, e’en after his repose,
To keep prophetic rights. (See 1Sa_28:11-19 (1 Kings, LXX))
Psalmographist
David, great king and prophet, with a voice
Submiss was wont Christ’s future suffering
170
To sing: which prophecy spontaneously
His thankless lawless People did perform:
Whom151 God had promised that in time to come,
Fruit of his womb,152 a holy progeny,
He would on his sublime throne set: the Lord’s
175
Fixt faith did all that He had promised.
Corrector of an inert People rose
Emulous153 Hezekiah; who restored
Iniquitous forgetful men the Law:154
All these God’s mandates of old time he first
180
Bade men observe, who ended war by prayers,155
Not by steel’s point: he, dying, had a grant
Of years and times of life made to his tears:
Deservèdly such honour his career
Obtained.
With zeal immense, Josiah, prince
185
Himself withal, in like wise acted: none
So much, before or after! - Idols he
Dethroned; destroyed unhallowed temples; burned
154 With fire priests on their altars; all the bones
Of prophets false updug; the altars burned,
190
The carcases to be consumed did serve
For fuel!
To the praise of signal faith,
Noble Elijah, (memorable fact!)
Was rapt;156 who hath not tasted yet death’s dues;
Since to the orb he is to come again.
195
His faith unbroken, then, chastening with stripes
People and frenzied king, (who did desert
The Lord’s best service), and with bitter flames
The foes, shut up the stars; kept in the clouds
The rain; showed all collectively that God
200
Is, made their error patent; - for a flame,
Coming with force from heaven at his prayers,
Ate up the victim’s parts, dripping with flood,
Upon the altar:157 - often as he willed,
So often from on high rushed fire; (See 2Ki_1:9-12 (4 Kings LXX)) the stream
205
Dividing, he made pathless passable;158
And, in a chariot raised aloft, was borne
To paradise’s hall.
Disciple his
Elisha was, succeeding to his lot:159
Who begged to take to him Elijah’s lot160
210
In double measure; so, with forceful stripe,
The People to chastise:161 such and so great
A love for the Lord’s cause he breathed. He smote
Through Jordan; made his feet a way, and crossed
Again; raised with a twig the axe down-sunk
215
Beneath the stream; changed into vital meat
The deathful food; detained a second time,
Double in length,162 the rains; cleansed leprosies;163
Entangled foes in darkness; and when one
Offcast and dead, by bandits’ slaughter slain,
220
His limbs, after his death, already hid
In sepulchre, did touch, he - light recalled -
Revived.
Isaiah, wealthy seer, to whom
The fount was oped, - so manifest his faith! -
Poured from his mouth God’s word forth.
Promised was
225
The Father’s will, bounteous through Christ; through him
It testified before the way of life,
And was approved:164 but him, though stainless found,
And undeserving, the mad People cut
With wooden saw in twain, and took away
230
With cruel death.
The holy Jeremy
Followed; whom the Eternal’s Virtue bade
Be prophet to the Gentiles, and him told
The future: who, because he brooded o’er
His People’s deeds illaudable, and said
235
(Speaking with voice presaging) that, unless
They had repented of betaking them
To deeds iniquitous against their slaves,165
They should be captived, bore hard bonds, shut up
In squalid gaol; and, in the miry pit,
240
Hunger exhausted his decaying limbs.
But, after he did prove what they to hear
Had been unwilling, and the foes did lead
The People bound in their triumphal trains,
Hardly at length his wrinkled right hand lost
245
Its chains: it is agreed that by no death
Nor slaughter was the hero ta’en away.
Faithful Ezekiel, to whom granted was
Rich grace of speech, saw sinners’ secrets; wailed
His own afflictions; prayed for pardon; saw
250
The vengeance of the saints, which is to be
By slaughter; and, in Spirit wrapt, the place
Of the saints’ realm, its steps and accesses,
And the salvation of the flesh, he saw.
Hosea, Amos, Micah, Joel, too,
255
With Obadiah, Jonah, Nahum, come;
Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai,
And Zechariah who did violence
Suffer, and Malachi - angel himself! -
Are here: these are the Lord’s seers; and their choir,
260
As still they sing, is heard; and equally
Their proper wreath of praise they all have earned.
How great was Daniel! What a man!
What power!
Who by their own mouth did false witnesses
Bewray, and saved a soul on a false charge
265
Condemned;166 and, before that, by mouth resolved
155 The king’s so secret dreams; foresaw how Christ
Dissolves the limbs of kingdoms; was accused
For his Lord’s sake; was made the lions’ prey;
And, openly preserved167 before all eyes,
270
Rested in peace.
His three companions, scarce
With due praise to be sung, did piously
Contemn the king’s iniquitous decree,
Out of so great a number: to the flames
Their bodies given were; but they preferred,
275
For the Great Name, to yield to penalties
Themselves, than to an image stretch their palms
On bended knees. Now their o’erbrilliant faith,
Now hope outshining all things, the wild fires
Hath quencht, and vanquisht the iniquitous!
280
Ezra the seer, doctor of Law, and priest
Himself (who, after full times, back did lead
The captive People), with the Spirit filled
Of memory, restored by word of mouth
All the seers’ volumes, by the fires and mould168
285
Consumèd.
Great above all born from seed
Is John: whose praises hardly shall we skill
To tell: the washer169 of the flesh: the Lord’s
Open forerunner; washer,170 too, of Christ,
Himself first born again from Him: the first
290
Of the new convenant, last of the old,
Was he; and for the True Way’s sake he died,
The first slain victim.
See God-Christ! behold
Alike, His Twelve-Fold Warrior-Youth!171 in all
One faith, one love, one power; the flower of men;
295
Lightening the world172 with light; comrades of Christ
And apostolic men; who, speaking truth,
Heard with their ears Salvation,173 with their eyes
Saw It, and handled with their hand the late
From death recovered body, (Cf. 1Jo_1:1, 1Jo_1:2) and partook
300
As fellow-guests of food therewith, as they
Themselves bear witness.
Him did Paul as well
(Forechosen apostle, and in due time sent),
When rapt into the heavens, (See 2Co_12:1 sqq.) behold: and sent
By Him, he, with his comrade Barnabas,
305
And with the earlier associates
Joined in one league together, everywhere
Among the Gentiles hands the doctrine down
That Christ is Head, whose members are the Church,
He the salvation of the body, He
310
The members’ life perennial; He, made flesh,
He, ta’en away for all, Himself first rose
Again, salvation’s only hope; and gave
The norm to His disciples: they at once
All variously suffered, for His Name,
315
Unworthy penalties.
Such members bears
With beauteous body the free mother, since
She never her Lord’s precepts left behind,
And in His home hath grown old, to her Lord
Ever most choice, having for His Name’s sake
320
Penalties suffered. For since, barren once,
Not yet secure of her futurity,
She hath outgiven a people born of seed
Celestial, and174 been spurned, and borne the spleen175
Of her own handmaid; now ’tis time to see
325
This former-barren mother have a son
The heir of her own liberty; not like
The handmaid’s heir, yoked in estate to her,
Although she bare him from celestial seed
Conceived. Far be it that ye should with words
330
Unlawful, with rash voice, collectively
Without distinction, give men exemplary
(Heaven’s glowing constellations, to the mass
Of men conjoined by seed alone or blood),
The rugged bondman’s176 name; or that one think
335
That he may speak in servile style about
A People who the mandates followed
Of the Lord’s Law. No: but we mean the troop
Of sinners, empty, mindless, who have placed
God’s promises in a mistrustful heart;
340
156 Men vanquisht by the miserable sweet
Of present life: that troop would have been bound
Capital slavery to undergo,
By their own fault, if sin’s cause shall impose
Law’s yoke upon the mass. For to serve God,
345
And be whole-heartedly intent thereon,
Untainted faith, and freedom, is thereto
Prepared spontaneous.
The just fathers, then,
And holy stainless prophets, many, sang
The future advent of the Lord; and they
350
Faithfully testify what Heaven bids
To men profane: with them the giants,177 men
With Christ’s own glory satiated, made
The consorts of His virtue, filling up
The hallowed words, have stablishèd our faith;
355
By facts predictions proving.
Of these men
Disciples who succeeded them throughout
The orb, men wholly filled with virtue’s breath,
And our own masters, have assigned to us
Honours conjoined with works.
Of whom the first
360
Whom Peter bade to take his place and sit
Upon this chair in mightiest Rome where he
Himself had sat,178 was Linus, great, elect,
And by the mass approved. And after him
Cletus himself the fold’s flock undertook;
365
As his successor Anacletus was
By lot located: Clement follows him;
Well known was he to apostolic men:179
Next Evaristus ruled without a crime
The law.180 To Sixtus Sextus Alexander
370
Commends the fold: who, after he had filled
His lustral times up, to Telesphorus
Hands it in order: excellent was he,
And martyr faithful. After him succeeds
A comrade in the law,181 and master sure:
375
When lo! the comrade of your wickedness,
Its author and forerunner - Cerdo hight -
Arrived at Rome, smarting with recent wounds:
Detected, for that he was scattering
Voices and words of venom stealthily:
380
For which cause, driven from the band, he bore
This sacrilegious brood, the dragon’s breath
Engendering it. Blooming in piety
United stood the Church of Rome, compact
By Peter: whose successor, too, himself,
385
And now in the ninth place, Hyginus was,
The burden undertaking of his chair.
After him followed Pius - Hermas his
Own brother182 was; angelic “Pastor” he,
Because he spake the words delivered him:183
390
And Anicetus184 the allotted post
In pious order undertook. ’Neath whom
Marcion here coming, the new Pontic pest,
(The secret daring deed in his own heart
Not yet disclosed,) went, speaking commonly,
395
In all directions, in his perfidy,
With lurking art. But after he began
His deadly arrows to produce, cast off
Deservedly (as author of a crime
So savage), reprobated by the saints,
400
He burst, a wondrous monster! on our view.
FOOTNOTES
115 The Jewish people leaving Christ, “the fountain of living waters” (Jer_2:13; Joh_7:37-39), is compared to Hagar leaving the well, which was, we may well believe, close to Abraham’s tent.
116 Et tepidis errans ardenti sidere potat. See Gen_21:12-20.
117 i.e., apparently the “giants;” see Gen_6:4; but there is no mention of them in Enoch’s time (Migne).
118 i.e., over the general sinfulness.
119 I suggest “translatus” for “translatum” here.
120 See Gen_7:1
121 Loosely; 120 years is the number in Gen_6:3.
122 Gente.
123 Speculo vultus. The two words seem to me to go together, and, unless the second be indeed redundant, to mean perhaps a small hand-mirror, which affords more facilities for minute examination of the face than a larger fixed one.
124 “Sortis;” lit. “lot,” here = “the line or family chosen by lot.” Compare the similar derivation of “clergy.”
125 Lignum.
126 I have ventured to substitute “Christo” for “Christi;” and thus, for
“Cum Christi populo manifeste multa locutus,”
read,
“Cum Christo (populo manifeste) multa locutus.”
The reference is to the fact, on which such special stress is laid, of the Lord’s “speaking to Moses face to face, as a man speaketh with his friend.” See especially Num_12:5-8, Deu_34:9-12, with Deu_18:17-19, Act_3:22, Act_3:23, Act_7:37.
127 The Latin in Oehler and Migne is thus:
“Acceptam legem per paucos fudit in orbem;”
and the reference seems to me to be to Exo_32:15-20, though the use of “orbem” for “ground” is perhaps strange; but “humum” would have been against the metre, if that argument be of any weight in the case of a writer so prolific of false quantities. Possibly the lines may mean that “he diffused through some few” - i.e., through the Jews, “few” as compared with the total inhabitants of the orb - “the Law which he had received;” but then the following line seems rather to favour the former view, because the tables of the Law - called briefly “the Law” - broken by Moses so soon after he had received them, were typical of the inefficacy of all Moses’ own toils, which, after all, ended in disappointment, as he was forbidden, on account of a sin committed in the very last of the forty years, to lead the people into “the land,” as he had fondly hoped to do. Only I suspect some error in “per paucos;” unless it be lawful to supply “dies,” and take it to mean “received during but few days,” i.e., “within few days,” “only a few days before,” and “accepted” or “kept” by the People “during but a few days.” Would it be lawful to conjecture “perpaucis” as one word, with “ante diebus” to be understood?
128 i.e., the sign of the cross. See Tertullian, adv. Marc., l. iii. c. xviii. sub. fin.; also adv. Jud., c. x. med.
129 i.e., all the acts and the experiences of Moses.
130 Moses.
131 See Exo_23:20-23; and cf. adv. Marc., l. iii. c. xvi.
132 Legitima, i.e., reverent of law.
133 i.e., virtuous acts.
134 Or, “valour.”
135 The Latin runs thus:
“Acer in hostem.
Non virtute sua tutelam acquirere genti.”
I have ventured to read “suae,” and connect it with “genti;” and thus have obtained what seems to me a probable sense. See Jdg_8:22, Jdg_8:23.
136 I read “firmandus” for “firmatus.”
137 Mundo.
138 I have again ventured a correction, “coarescere” for “coalescere.” It makes at least some sense out of an otherwise (to me) unintelligible passage, the “palm” being taken as the well-known symbol of bloom and triumph. So David in Psa_92:12 (91:13, LXX), “The righteous shall flourish like the palm-tree.” To “dry” here is, of course, neuter, and means to “wither.”
139 I have changed “eadem” - which must agree with “nocte,” and hence give a false sense; for it was not, of course, on “the same night,” but on the next, that his second sign was given - into “eodem,” to agree with “liquore,” which gives a true one, as the “moisture,” of course, was the same, - dew, namely.
140 Equite. It appears to be used loosely for “men of war” generally.
141 Which is taken, from its form, as a sign of the cross; see below.
142 Refers to the “when” in 99, above.
143 Lychno. The “faces” are probably the wicks.
144 “Scilicet hoc testamen erat virtutis image.”
145 The text as it stands is, in Oehler: -
… “Hic Baal Christi victoria signo
Extemplo refugam devicit femina ligno;”
which I would read: -
… “Hunc Jael, Christi victoriae signo,
Extemplo,” etc.
146 For “hic” I would incline to read “huic.”
147 i.e., child.
148 i.e., instead of.
149 i.e., to his unshorn Nazarite locks.
150 Viros ostendere Christos.
151 i.e., to whom, to David.
152 “Ex utero:” a curious expression for a man; but so it is.
153 i.e., emulous of David’s virtues.
154 Cf. especially 2Ch_29:1-36, 2Ch_30:1-27, 2Ch_31:1-21.
155 Our author is quite correct in his order. A comparison of dates as given in the Scripture history shows us that his reforms preceded his war with Sennacherib.
156 The “tactus” of the Latin is without sense, unless indeed it refer to his being twice “touched” by an angel. See 1Ki_19:1-8 (3 Kings, LXX). I have therefore substituted “raptus,” there being no mention of the angel in the Latin.
157 “Aras” should probably be “aram.”
158 For “transgressas et avia fecit,” I read “transgressus avia fecit,” taking “transgressus” as a subst.
159 Sortis.
160 Sortem.
161 Our author has somewhat mistaken Elisha’s mission apparently; for as there is a significant difference in the meaning of their respective names, so there is in their works: Elijah’s miracles being rather miracles of judgment, it has been remarked; Elisha’s, of mercy.
162 The reference is to a famine in Elisha’s days, which - 2Ki_8:1 (4 Kings, LXX) - was to last seven years; whereas that for which Elijah prayed, as we learn in Jam_5:17, lasted three and six months. But it is not said that Elisha prayed for that famine.
163 We only read of one leprosy which Elisha cleansed - Naaman’s. He inflicted leprosy on Gehazi, which was “to cleave to him and to his seed for ever.”
164 Praestata viam vitae atque probata per ipsam est. I suspect we should read “via,” quantity being of no importance with our author, and take “praetestata” as passive: “The way of life was testified before, and proved, through him.”
165 This seems to be the meaning, and the reference will then be to Jer_34:8-22 (Jeremiah 41:8-22, LXX); but the punctuation both in Oehler and Migne makes nonsense, and I have therefore altered it.
166 See the apocryphal “Susanna.”
167 For “servatisque palam cunctis in pace quievit,” which the edd. give, I suggest “servatusque,” etc., and take “palam” for governing “cunctis.”
168 Ignibus et multa consumpta volumina vatum. Multa must, apparently, be an error for some word signifying “mould” or the like; unless, with the disregard of construction and quantity observable in this author, it be an acc. pl. to agree with volumina, so that we must take “omnia multa volumina” together, which would alter the whole construction of the context.
169 Ablutor.
170 Ablutor.
171 Juventus.
172 Mundo.
173 Salutem = Christum. So Simeon, “Mine eyes have seen Thy salvation,” where the Greek word should be noted and compared with its usage in the LXX., especially in the Psalms. See Luk_2:30.
174 The common reading is, “Atque suae famulae portavit spreta dolorem,” for which Oehler reads “portarit;” but I incline rather to suggest that “portavit” be retained, but that the “atque” be changed into “aeque,” thus: “Aeque suae famulae portavit spreta dolorem;” i.e., Since, like Sarah, the once barren Christian church-mother hath had children, equally, like Sarah, hath she had to bear scorn and spleen at her handmaid’s - the Jewish church-mother’s - hands.
