THE TREATISES OF CYPRIAN: TREATISE XII.--THREE BOOKS OF TESTIMONIES AGAINST
THE JEWS.--SECOND BOOK
SECOND BOOK.
HEADS.
1. That Christ is the First-born, and that He is the Wisdom of God, by
whom all things were made.
2. That Christ is the Wisdom of God; and about the sacrament of His
incarnation, and passion, and cup, and altar, and the apostles who were sent and
preached.
3. That Christ also is Himself the Word of God.
4. That the same Christ is God's hand and arm.
5. That the same is Angel and God.
6. That Christ is God.
7. That Christ our God should come as the Illuminator and Saviour of the
human race.
8. That although from the beginning He had been Son of God, He had yet to
be begotten again according to the flesh.
9. That this should be the sign of His nativity, that He should be born of
a virgin--man and God--Son of man and of God.
10. That Christ is man and God, compounded of either nature, that He might
be a mediator between us and the Father.
11. That He was to be born of the seed of David after the flesh.
12. That He should be born in Bethlehem.
13. That He should come in lowly condition on His first advent.
14. That He was the righteous One whom the Jews should put to death.
15. That He was called a Sheep and a Lamb who would have to be slain, and
concerning the sacrament of the passion.
16. That He is also called a Stone.
17. That subsequently that stone should become a mountain, and should fill
the whole earth.
18. That in the last times the same mountain t should be manifested, upon
which the Gentiles t should come, and on which the righteous should go up.
19. That He is the Bridegroom, having the Church as His bride, from whom
children should be spiritually born.
20. That the Jews should fasten Him to the Cross.
21. That in the passion and the sign of the cross is all virtue and power.
22. That in this sign of the cross is salvation for all who are marked on
their foreheads.
23. That at mid-day, during His passion, there should be darkness.
24. That He should not be overcome of death, nor should remain in hell.
25. That He should rise again from hell on the third day.
26. That when He had risen, He should receive from His Father all power,
and His power should be eternal.
27. That it is impossible to attain to God the Father, except through the
Son Jesus Christ.
28. That He is to come as a Judge.
29. That He is to reign as a King for ever.
30. That He is both Judge and King.
TESTIMONIES.
- That Christ is the First-born, and that He is the Wisdom of God, by whom all
things were made.
In Solomon in the Proverbs: "The Lord established[4] me in the beginning
of His ways, into His works: before the world He rounded me. In the beginning,
before He made the earth, and before He appointed the abysses, before the
fountains of waters gushed forth, before the mountains were settled, before all the
hills, the Lord begot me. He made the countries, and the uninhabitable places,
and the uninhabitable bounds under heaven. When He prepared the heaven, I was
present with Him; and when He set apart His seat. When He made the strong clouds
above the winds, and when He placed the strengthened fountains under heaven,
when He made the mighty foundations of the earth, I was by His side, ordering
them: I was He in whom He delighted: moreover, I daily rejoiced before His face in
all time, when He rejoiced in the perfected earth."[5] Also in the same in
Ecclesiasticus: "I went forth out of the mouth of the Most High, first-born before
every creature: I made the unwearying light to rise in the heavens, and I
covered the whole earth with a cloud: I dwelt in the high places, and my throne in
the pillar of the cloud: I compassed the circle of heaven, and I penetrated
into the depth of the abyss, and I walked on the waves of the sea, and I stood in
all the earth; and in every people and in every nation I had the pre-eminence,
and by my own strength I have trodden the hearts of all the excellent and the
humble: in me is all hope of life and virtue: pass over to me, all ye who desire
me."[1] Also in the eighty-eighth Psalm: "And I will establish Him as my
first-born, the highest among the kings of the earth. I will keep my mercy for Him
for ever, and my faithful covenant for Him; and I will establish his seed for
ever and ever. If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments; if
they profane my judgments, and do not observe my precepts, I will visit their
wickednesses with a rod, and their sins with scourges; but my mercy will I not
scatter away from them."[2] Also in the Gospel according to John, the Lord says:
"And this is life eternal, that they should know Thee, the only and true God,
and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent. I have glorified Thee on the earth: I
have finished the work which Thou gavest me to do. And now, do Thou glorify me
with Thyself, with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was made."[3]
Also Paul to the Colossians: "Who is the image of the invisible God, and the
first-born of every creature."[4] Also in the same place: "The first-born from
the dead, that He might in all things become the holder of the pre-eminence."[5]
In the Apocalypse too: "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will
give unto Him that is thirsting from the fountain of the water of life
freely."[6] That He also is both the wisdom and the power of God, Paul proves in his
first Epistle to the Corinthians. "Because the Jews require a sign, and the
Creeks seek after wisdom: but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews indeed a
stumbling-block, and to the Gentiles foolishness; but to them that are called, both
Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God."[7]
- That Christ is the Wisdom of God; and concerning the sacrament of His
incarnation and of His passion, and cup and altar; and of the apostles who were sent,
and preached.
In Solomon in the Proverbs: "Wisdom hath builded herself an house, and she
has placed under it seven pillars; she has slain her victims; she hath mingled
her wine in the goblet, and hath made ready her table,[8] and hath sent her
servants, calling with a loud announcement to the cup, saying, Let him who is
foolish turn to me: and to them that want understanding she has said, Come, eat of
my loaves, and drink the wine which I have mingled for you. Forsake
foolishness, and seek wisdom, and correct knowledge by understanding."[9]
- That the same Christ is the Word of God.
In the forty-fourth Psalm: "My heart hath breathed out a good Word. I tell
my works to the King."[10] Also in the thirty-second Psalm: "By the Word of God
were the heavens made fast; and all their strength by the breath of His
mouth."[11] Also in Isaiah: "A Word completing and shortening in righteousness,
because a shortened word will God make in the whole earth."[12] Also in the cvith
Psalm: "He sent His Word, and healed them."[13] Moreover, in the Gospel
according to John: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God
was the Word. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by
Him, and without Him was nothing made that was made. In Him was life; and the
life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness
comprehended it not."[14] Also in the Apocalypse: "And I saw the heaven opened,
and lo, a white horse; and he who sate upon him was called Faithful and True,
judging rightly and justly; and He made war. And He was covered with a garment
sprinkled with blood; and His name is called the Word of God."[15]
- That Christ is the Hand and Arm of God.[16]
In Isaiah: "Is God's Hand not strong to save? or has He made His ear heavy,
that He cannot hear? But your sins separate between you and God; anti on
account of your sins He turns His face away from you, that He may not pity. For your
hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with sins. Moreover, your lips
have spoken wickedness, and your tongue meditates unrighteousness. No one
speaketh truth, nor is there true judgment: they trust in vanity, and speak
emptiness, who conceive sorrow, and bring forth wickedness."[17] Also in the same
place: "Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom is the Arm of God
revealed?"[18] Also in the same: "Thus saith the Lord, Heaven is my throne, and the earth
is the support of my feet. What house will ye build unto me? or what is the
place for my rest? For all these things hath mine hand made."[1] Also in the
same: "O Lord God, Thine Arm is high, and they knew it not; but when they know it,
they shall be confounded."[2] Also in the same: "The Lord hath revealed His
Arab that holy Arm, in the sight of all nations; all nations, even the ends of the
earth, shall see salvation from God."[3] Also in the same place: "Behold, I
have made thee as the wheels of a thrashing chariot, new and turned back upon
themselves;"[4] and thou shalt thrash the mountains, and shalt beat the bills
small, and shalt make them as chaff, and shall winnow them; and the wind shall
seize them, and the whirlwind shall scatter them: but thou shall rejoice in the
saints of Israel; and the poor and needy shall exult. For they shall seek water,
and there shall be none. For their tongue shall be dry for thirst. I the Lord
God, I the God of Israel, will hear them, and will not forsake them; but I will
open rivers in the mountains, and fountains in the midst of the fields. I will
make the wildernesses watery groves, and a thirsty land into watercourses. I
will establish in the land of drought the cedar-tree and the box-tree, and the
myrtle and the cypress, and the elm[5] and the poplar, that they may see and
acknowledge, and know and believe together, that the Hand of the Lord hath done
these things, and the Holy One of Israel hath shown them."[6]
- That Christ is at once Angel and God.[7]
In Genesis, to Abraham: "And the Angel of the Lord called him from heaven,
and said unto him, Abraham, Abraham! And he said, Here am I. And He said, Lay
not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou anything unto him. For now I know
that thou fearest thy God, and hast not spared thy son, thy beloved son, for my
sake."[8] Also in the same place, to Jacob: "And the Angel of the Lord spake
unto me in dreams, I am God, whom thou sawest in the place of God[9] where thou
anointedst me a pillar of stone, and vowedst to me a vow."[10] Also in Exodus:
"But God went before them by day indeed in a pillar of cloud, to show them the
way; and by night in a pillar of fire."[11] And afterwards, in the same place:
"And the Angel of God moved forward, which went before the army of the children
of Israel."[12] Also in the same place: "Lo, I send my Angel before thy face,
to keep thee in the way, that He may lead thee into the land which I have
prepared for thee. Observe Him, and obey Him, and be not disobedient to Him, and He
will not be wanting to thee. For my Name is in Him."[13] Whence He Himself says
in the Gospel: "I came in the name of my Father, and ye received me not. When
another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive."[14] And again in the
cxviith Psalm: "Blessed is He who cometh in the name of the Lord."[15] Also in
Malachi: "My covenant of life and peace was with Levi;[16] and I gave him fear,
that he should fear me, that he should go from the face of my name. The law of
truth was in his mouth, and unrighteousness was not found in his lips. In the
peace of the tongue correcting, he walked with us, and turned many away from
unrighteousness. Because the lips of the priests shall keep knowledge, and they
shall seek the law at His mouth; for He is the Angel of the Almighty."[17]
- That Christ is God.
In Genesis: "And God said unto Jacob, Arise, and go up to the place of
Bethel, and dwell there; and make there an altar to that God who appeared unto
thee when thou reddest from the face of thy brother Esau."[18] Also in Isaiah:
"Thus saith the Lord, the God of Sabaoth, Egypt is wearied; and the merchandise of
the Ethiopians, and the tall men of the Sabeans, shall pass over unto Thee,
and shall be Thy servants; and shall walk after Thee bound with chains; and shall
worship Thee, and shall pray to Thee, because God is in Thee, and there is no
other God beside Thee. For Thou art God, and we knew it not, O God of Israel,
our Saviour. They shall all be confounded and fear who oppose Thee, and shall
fall into confusion."[19] Likewise in the same: "The voice of one crying in the
wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight the paths of our God.
Every channel shall be filled up, and every mountain and bill shall be made
low, and all crooked places shall be made straight, and rough places plain; and
the glory of the Lord shall be seen, and all flesh shall see the salvation of
God, because the Lord hath spoken it."[20] Moreover, in Jeremiah: This is our
God, and no other shall be esteemed beside Him, who hath found all the way of
knowledge, and hath given it to Jacob His son, and to Israel His beloved. After
this He was seen upon earth, and He conversed with men."[1] Also in Zechariah
God says: "And they shall cross over through the narrow sea, and they shall smite
the waves in the sea, and they shall dry up all the depths of the rivers; and
all the haughtiness of the Assyrians shall be confounded, and the sceptre of
Egypt shall be taken away. And I will strengthen them in the Lord their God, and
in His name shall they glory, saith the Lord."[2] Moreover, in Hosea the Lord
saith: "I will not do according to the anger of mine indignation, I will not
allow Ephraim to be destroyed: for I am God, and there is not a holy man in thee:
and I will not enter into the city; I will go after God." [3] Also in the
forty-fourth Psalm: "Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of
righteousness is the sceptre of Thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated
iniquity: wherefore God, Thy God, hath anointed Thee with the oil of gladness
above Thy fellows."[4] So, too, in the forty-fifth Psalm: "Be still, and know
that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, and I will be exalted in the
earth."[5] Also in the eighty-first Psalm: "They have not known, neither have
they understood: they will walk on in darkness."[6] Also in the sixty-seventh
Psalm: "Sing unto God, sing praises unto His name: make a way for Him who goeth
up into the west: God is His name."[7] Also in the Gospel according to John:
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the
Word."[8] Also in the same: "The Lord said to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and
behold my hands: and be not faithless, but believing. Thomas answered and said
unto Him, My Lord and my God. Jesus saith unto him, Because thou hast seen me,
thou hast believed: blessed are they who have not seen, and yet have
believed."[9] Also Paul to the Romans: "I could wish that I myself were accursed from
Christ for my brethren and my kindred according to the flesh: who are Israel-ires:
whose are the adoption, and the glory, and the covenant, and the appointment of
the law, and the service (of God), and the promises; whose are the fathers, of
whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is God over all, blessed for
evermore."[10] Also in the Apocalypse: "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and
the end I will give to him that is athirst, of the fountain of living water
freely. He that overcometh shall possess these things, and their inheritance; and I
will be his God, and he shall be my son."[11] Also in the eighty-first Psalm:
"God stood in the congregation of gods, and judging gods in the midst."[12] And
again in the same place: "I have said, Ye are gods; and ye are all the children
of the Highest: but ye shall die like men." [13] But if they who have been
righteous, and have obeyed the divine precepts, may be called gods, how much more
is Christ, the Son of God, God! Thus He Himself says in the Gospel according to
John: "Is it not written in the law, that I said, Ye are gods? If He called
them gods to whom the word of God was given, and the Scripture cannot be relaxed,
do ye say to Him whom the Father hath sanctified and sent into the world, that
thou blasphemest, because I said, I am the Son of God? But if I do not the
works of my Father, believe me not; but if I do, and ye will not believe me,
believe the works, and know that the Father is in me, and I in Him."[14] Also in the
Gospel according to Matthew: "And ye shall call His name Emmanuel, which is,
being interpreted, God with us."[15]
- That Christ our God should come, the En-lightener and Saviour of the human
race.
In Isaiah: "Be comforted, ye weakened hands; and ye weak knees, be
strengthened. Ye who are of a timorous heart, fear not. Our God will recompense
judgment, He Himself will come, and will save us. Then shall be opened the eves of
the blind, and the ears of the deaf shall hear. Then the lame man shall leap as a
stag, and the tongue of the dumb shall be intelligible; because in the
wilderness the water is broken forth, and the stream in the thirsty land."[16] Also in
that place: "Not an elder nor an angel, but the Lord Himself shall deliver
them; because He shall love them, and shall spare them, and He Himself shall
redeem them.[17] Also in the same place: "I the Lord God have called Thee in
righteousness, that I may hold Thine hand, and I will comfort Thee; and I have given
Thee for a covenant of my people, for a light of the nations; to open the eyes
of the blind, to bring forth them that are bound from chains, and those who sit
in darkness from the prison-house. I am the Lord God, that is my name. I will
not: give any glory to another, nor my powers to given images."[18] Also in the
twenty-fourth Psalm: "Show me Thy ways, 0 Lord, and teach me Thy paths, and
lead me unto Thy truth, and teach me; for Thou art the God of my salvation."[1]
Whence, in the Gospel according to John, the Lord says: "I am the light of the
world. He that will follow me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the
light of life."[2] Moreover, in that according to Matthew, the angel Gabriel says
to Joseph: "Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife.
For that which shall be born to her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring
forth a son, and thou shalt call His name Jesus; for He shall save His people
from their sins."[3] Also in that according to Luke: "And Zacharias was filled
with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
who hath foreseen redemption for His people, and hath raised up an horn of
salvation for us in the house of His servant David."[4] Also in the same. place,
the angel said to the shepherds: "Fear not; for, behold, I bring you tidings that
unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ
Jesus."[5]
- That although from the beginning He had been the Son of God, yet He had to be
begotten again according to the flesh.
In the second Psalm: "The Lord said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day
have I begotten Thee. Ask of me, and I will give Thee the nations for Thine
inheritance, and the bounds of the earth for Thy possession."[6] Also in the Gospel
according to Luke: "And it came to pass, when Elisabeth heard the salutation
of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and she was filled with the Holy Ghost,
and she cried out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and
blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence does this happen to me, that the
mother of my Lord should come to me?"[7] Also Paul to the Galatians: "But when
the fulness of the time was come, God sent His Son, horn of a woman."[8] Also
in the Epistle of John: "Every spirit which confesses that Jesus Christ is come
in the flesh is of God. But whosoever denies that He is come in the flesh is
not of God, but is of the spirit of Antichrist."[9]
- That this should be the sign of His nativity, that He should be born of a
virgin--man and God--a son of man and a Son of God.
In Isaiah: "And the Lord went on to speak to Ahaz, saying, Ask thee a sign
from the Lord thy God, in the height above and in the depth below. And Ahaz
said, I will not ask, and I will not tempt the Lord my God. And He said, Hear
ye, therefore, O house of David: it is no trifling contest unto you with men,
since God supplies the struggle. On this account God Himself will give you a
sign. Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and shall bear a son, and ye shall call His
name Emmanuel. Butter and honey shall He eat; before that He knows to prefer
the evil, He shall exchange the good."[10] This seed God had foretold would
proceed from the woman that should trample on the head of the devil. In Genesis:
"Then God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, cursed art thou from
every kind of the beasts of the earth. Upon thy breast and thy belly shalt
thou crawl, and earth shall be thy food all the days of thy life. And I will place
enmity between thee and the woman and her seed. He shall regard thy head, and
thou shalt watch his heel."[11]
- That Christ is both man and God, compounded of both natures, that He might be
a Mediator between us and the Father.
In Jeremiah: "And He is man, and who shall know Him?[12] Also in Numbers:
"A Star shall arise out of Jacob, and a man shall rise up from Israel."[13]
Also in the same place: "A Man shall go forth out of his seed,[14] and shall rule
over many nations; and His kingdom shall be exalted as Gog,[15] and His kingdom
shall be increased; and God brought Him forth out of Egypt. His glory is as of
the unicorn, and He shall eat the nations of His enemies, and shall take out
the marrow of their fatnesses, and will pierce His enemy with His arrows. He
couched and lay down as a lion, and as a lion's whelp. Who shall raise Him up?
Blessed are they who bless Thee, and cursed are they who curse Thee."[16] Also in
Isaiah: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; on account whereof He hath anointed
me: He hath sent me to tell good tidings to the poor; to heal the bruised in
heart, to preach deliverance to the captives, and sight to the blind, to
proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of retribution."[17] Whence, in
the Gospel according to Luke, Gabriel says to Mary: "And the angel, answering,
said to her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest
shall overshadow thee. Wherefore that holy thing which is born of thee shall be
called the Son of God."[1] Also in the first Epistle of Paul to the
Corinthians: "The first man is of the mud[2] of the earth; the second man is from
heaven. As was he from the soil, such are they also that are of the earth; and as is
the heavenly, such also are the heavenly. As we have borne the image of him who
is of the earth, let us also bear the image of Him who is from heaven."[3]
- That Christ was to be born of the seed of David, according to the flesh.
In the second of Kings: "And the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying,
Go and tell my servant David, Thus saith the Lord, Thou shall not build me an
house to dwell in; but it shall come to pass, when thy days shall be fulfilled,
and thou shall sleep with thy fathers, I will raise up thy seed after thee who
shall come from thy loins, and I will establish His kingdom. He shall build me
a house in my name, and I will set up His throne for ever; and I will be to;
Him a Father, and He shall be to me a Son; and His house shall obtain confidence,
and His kingdom for ever in my sight."[4] Also in Isaiah: "And a rod shall go
forth of the root of Jesse, and a flower shall go up from his root; and the
Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the spirit of wisdom and of
understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and piety; and the
spirit of the fear of the Lord shall fill Him."[5] Also in the cxxxist Psalm:
"God hath sworn the truth unto David himself, and He has not repudiated it; of
the fruit of thy belly will I set upon my throne."[6] Also in the Gospel
according to Luke: "And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary. For thou hast found
favour before God. Behold, thou shall conceive, and shalt bring forth a son, and
shalt call His name Jesus. The same shall be great, and He shall be called the
Son of the Highest; and the Lord God shall give Him the throne of His father
David, and He shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of His kingdom
there shall be no end."[7] Also in the Apocalypse: "And I saw in the right hand
of God, who sate on the throne, a book written within, and on the back sealed
with seven seals; and I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is
worthy to receive the book, and to open its seals? Nor was there any one either
in heaven or upon the earth, or under the earth, who was able to open the
book, nor even to look into it. And I wept much because nobody was found worthy to
open the book, nor to look into it. And one of the elders said unto me, Weep
not; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to
open the book, and to loose its seven seals."[8]
- That Christ should be born in Bethlehem.
In Micah: "And thou, Bethlehem, house of Ephrata, art not little, that
thou shouldst be appointed among the thousands of Judah. Out of thee shall He come
forth to me, that He may be a prince in Israel, and His goings forth from the
beginning from the days of old."[9] Also in the Gospel: "And when Jesus was
born in Bethlehem of Judah, in the days of Herod the king, behold, Magi came from
the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is He that is born King of the Jews? For
we have seen His star in the east, and we have come with gifts to worship
Him."[10]
- That Christ was to come in low estate in His first advent.
In Isaiah: "Lord, who hath believed our report, and to whom is the Arm of
the Lord revealed? We have declared in His presence as children, as a root in a
thirsty ground. There is no form nor glory in Him; and we saw Him, and He had
no form nor beauty; but His form was without honour, and lacking beyond other
men. He was a man set in a plague, and knowing how to bear weakness; because His
face was turned away, He was dishonoured, and was not accounted of. He bears
our sins, and grieves for us; and we thought that He was in grief, and in
wounding, and in affliction; but He was wounded for our transgressions, and He was
weakened[11] for our sins. The discipline of our peace was upon Him, and with His
bruise we are healed. We all like sheep have gone astray; than has gone out of
his way. And God has delivered Him for our sins; and He, because He was
afflicted, opened not His mouth."[12] Also in the same: "I am not rebellious, nor do
I contradict. I gave my back to the stripes, and my cheeks to the palms of the
hands. Moreover, I did not turn away my Gee from the foulness of spitting, and
God was my helper."[13] Also in the same: "He shall not cry, nor will any one
hear His voice in the streets. He shall not break a bruised reed, and a smoking
flax He shall not extinguish; but He shall bring forth judgment in truth. He
shall shine forth, and shall not be shaken, until He set judgment in the earth,
and in His name shall the nations trust."[1] Also in the twenty-first Psalm:
"But I am a worm, and no man; the accursed of man, and the casting away of the
people. All they who saw me despised me, and spoke within their lips, and moved
their head. He hoped in the Lord, let Him deliver him; let Him save him, since he
will have Him."[2] Also in that place: "My strength is dried up like a
potsherd, and my tongue is glued to my jaws."[3] Also in Zechariah: "And the Lord
showed me Jesus, that great priest, standing before the face of the Angel of the
Lord, and the devil was standing at his right hand to oppose him. And Jesus was
clothed in filthy garments, and he stood before the face of the Angel Himself;
and He answered and said to them who were standing before His face, saying, Take
away his filthy garments from him. And he said to him, Behold, I have taken
away thine iniquities. And put upon him a priestly garment,[4] and set a fair
mitre[5] upon his head."[6] Also Paul to the Philippians: "Who, being established
in the form of God, thought it not robbery that He was equal with God, but
emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men;
and being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, becoming obedient
even unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore also God exalted Him, and
gave Him a name which is above every name, that in the name[7] of Jesus every
knee should bow, of things in heaven, of things in earth, and of infernal
things, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord in the glory of God
the Father."[8]
- That He is the righteous One whom the Jews should put to death.
In the Wisdom of Solomon: "Let us lay hold of the righteous, because He is
disagreeable to us, and is contrary to our works, and reproacheth us with our
transgressions of the law.[9] He professeth that He has the knowledge of God,
and calls Himself the Son of God; He has become to us an exposure of our
thoughts; He is grievous unto us even to look upon, because His life is unlike to
others, and His ways are changed. We are esteemed by Him as frivolous, and He
restraineth Himself from our ways, as if from uncleanness; and He extols the last
end of the righteous, and boasts that He has God for His Father. Let us see,
then, if His words are true, and let us try what will come to Him. Let us
interrogate Him with reproach and torture, that we may know His reverence and prove His
patience. Let us condemn Him with a most shameful death. These things they
considered, and erred. For their maliciousness hath blinded them, and they knew not
the sacraments of God."[10] Also in Isaiah: "See ye how the righteous
perisheth, and no man understandeth; and righteous men are taken away, and no man
regardeth. For the righteous man is taken away froth the face of nnrighteousness,
and his burial shall be in peace."[11] Concerning this very thing it was before
foretold in Exodus: "Thou shalt not slay the innocent and the righteous."[12]
Also in the Gospel: "Judas, led by penitence, said to the priests and elders, I
have sinned, in that I have betrayed the innocent blood."[13]
- That Christ is called a sheep and a lamb who was to be slain, and concerning
the sacrament (mystery) of the passion.
In Isaiah: "He was led as a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before
his shearer is dumb, so He opened not His mouth. In His humiliation His judgment
was taken away: who shall relate His nativity? Because His life shall i be
taken away from the earth. By the transgressions of my people He was led to death;
and I will give the wicked for His burial, and the rich themselves for His
death; because He did no wickedness, nor deceits with His mouth. Wherefore He
shall gain many, and shall divide the spoils of the strong; because His soul was
delivered up to death, and He was counted among transgressors. And He bare the
sins of many, and was delivered for their offences."[14] Also in Jeremiah: "Lord,
give me knowledge, and I shall know it: then I saw their meditations. I was
led like a lamb without malice to the slaughter; against me they devised a
device, saying, Come, let us cast the tree into His bread,[15] and let us erase His
life from the earth, and His name shall no more be a remembrance."[16] Also in
Exodus God said to Moses: "Let them take to themselves each man a sheep, through
the houses of the tribes, a sheep without blemish, perfect, male, of a year
old it shall be to you. Ye shall take it from the lambs and from the goats, and
all the congregation of the synagogue of the children of Israel shall kill it in
the evening; and they shall take of its blood, and shall place it upon the two
posts,[1] and upon the threshold in the houses, in the very houses in which
they shall eat it. And they shall eat the flesh on the same night, roasted with
fire; and they shall eat unleavened bread with bitter herbs.[2] Ye shall not eat
of them raw nor dressed in water, but roasted with fire; the head with the
feet and the inward parts. Ye shall leave nothing of them to the morning; and ye
shall not break a bone of it. But what of it shall be left to the morning shall
be burnt with fire. But thus ye shall eat it; your loins girt, and your sandals
on your feet, and your staff in your hands; and ye shall eat it in haste: for
it is the Lord's passover."[3] Also in the Apocalypse: "And I saw in the midst
of the throne, and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the
elders, a Lamb standing as if slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the
seven spirits of God sent forth throughout all the earth. And He came and took
the book from the right. hand of God, who sate on the throne. And when He had
taken the book, the four living creatures and the four and twenty elders cast
themselves before the Lamb, having every one of them harps and golden cups[4]
full of odours of supplications, which are the prayers of the saints; and they
sang a new song, saying, Worthy art Thou, O Lord, to take the book, and to open
its seals: for Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us with Thy blood from every
tribe, anti and people, and nation; and Thou hast made us a kingdom unto our
God, and hast made us priests, and they shall reign upon the earth."[5] Also in
the Gospel: "On the next day John saw Jesus coming to him, and saith, Behold the
Lamb of God, and behold Him that taketh away the sins of the world!"[6]
- That Christ also is called a Stone.
In Isaiah: "Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I place on the foundations of
Sion a precious stone, elect, chief, a corner stone, honourable; and he who
trusteth in Him shall not be confounded."[7] Also in the cxviith Psalm: "The stone
which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner. This is
done by the Lord, and it is wonderful in our eyes. This is the day, which the
Lord hath made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. O Lord, save therefore, O
Lord, direct therefore. Blessed is He who cometh in the name of the Lord."[8] Also
in Zechariah: "Behold, I bring forth my servant. The Orient is his name,
because the stone which I have placed before the face of Jesus; upon that one stone
are seven eyes."[9] Also in Deuteronomy: "And thou shall write upon the stone
all this law, very plainly."[10] Also in Jesus the son of Nave: "And be took a
great stone, and placed it there before the Lord; and Jesus said unto the people,
Behold, this stone shall be to you for a testimony, because it hath heard all
the things which were spoken by the Lord, which He hath spoken to you to-day;
and it shall be for a testimony to you in the last of the days, when ye shall
have departed from your God."[11] Also in the Acts of the Apostles, Peter: "Ye
princes of the people, and elders of Israel, hearken: Behold, we are this day
interrogated by you about the good deed done to the impotent man, by means of
which he is made whole. Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel,
that in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye have crucified, whom God
hath raised up from the dead, by Him he stands whole in your presence, but by
none other. This is the stone which was despised by you builders, which has
become the head of the corner. For there is no other name given to men under
heaven in which we must be saved."[12] This is the stone in Genesis, which Jacob
places at his head, because the head of the man is Christ; and as he slept he saw
a ladder reaching to heaven, on which the Lord was placed, and angels were
ascending and descending.[13] And this stone he designating Christ consecrated and
anointed with the sacrament of unction. This is the stone in Exodus upon which
Moses sate on the top of a hill when Jesus the son of Nave fought against
Amalek; and by the sacrament of the stone, and the stedfastness of his sitting,
Amalek was overcome by Jesus, that is, the devil was overcome by Christ. This is
the great stone in the first book of Kings, upon which was placed the ark of the
covenant when the oxen brought it back in the cart, sent back and returned by
the strangers. Also, this is the stone in the first book of Kings, with which
David smote the forehead of Goliath and slew him; signifying that the devil and
his servants are thereby thrown down--that part of the head, namely, being
conquered[1] which they have not had sealed. And by this seal we also are always
safe and live. This is the stone which, when Israel had conquered the aliens,
Samuel set up and called its name Ebenezer; that is, the stone that helpeth.
- That afterwards this Stone should become a mountain, and should fill the
whole earth.
In Daniel: "And behold a very great image; and the aspect of this image
was fearful, and it stood erect before thee; whose head was of fine gold, its
breast and arms were silver, its belly and thighs were of brass, and its feet were
partly indeed of iron, and partly of clay, until that a stone was cut[2] out
of the mountain, without the hands of those that should cut it, and struck the
image upon the feet of iron and clay, and brake them into small fragments. And
the iron, and the clay, and the brass, and the silver, and the gold, was made
altogether; and they became small as chaff, or dust in the threshing-floor in
summer; and the wind blew them away, so that nothing remained of them. And the
stone which struck the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole
earth."[3]
- That in the last times the same mountain should be manifested, and upon it
the Gentiles should come, and on it all the righteous should go up.
In Isaiah: "In the last times the mountain of the Lord shall be revealed,
and the house of God upon the tops of the mountains; and it shall be exalted
above the hills, and all nations shall come upon it, and many shall walk and say,
Come, and let us go up into the mountain of the Lord, and into the house of
the God of Jacob; and He will tell us His way, and we will walk in it. For from
Sion shall proceed the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem; and He
shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke much people; and they shall beat
their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks, and they
shall no more learn to fight."[4] Also in the twenty-third Psalm: "Who shall
ascend into the hill of the Lord, or who shall stand in His holy place? He that is
innocent in his hands, and of a clean heart; who hath not received his life in
vanity, and hath not sworn craftily to his neighbour. He shall receive the
blessing from the Lord, and mercy[5] from the God that saveth him. This is the
generation of those who seek Him, that seek the face of the God of Jacob." [6]
- That Christ is the Bridegroom, having the Church as His bride, from which
spiritual children were to be born.
In Joel: "Blow with the trumpet in Sion; sanctify a fast, and call a
healing; assemble the people, sanctify the Church, gather the elders, collect the
little ones that suck the breast; let the Bridegroom go forth of His chamber, and
the bride out of her closet."[7] Also in Jeremiah: "And I will take away from
the cities of Judah, and from the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of the
joyous, and the voice of the glad; the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the
bride."[8] Also in the eighteenth Psalm: "And he is as a bridegroom going forth
from his chamber; he exulted as a giant to run his course. From the height of
heaven is his going forth, and his circuit even to the end of it; and there is
nothing which is hid from his heat."[9] Also in the Apocalypse: "Come, I will
show thee the new bride, the Lamb's wife. And he took me in the Spirit to a
great mountain, and he showed me the holy city Jerusalem descending out of heaven
from God, having the glory of God."[10] Also in the Gospel according to John:
"Ye are my witnesses, that I said to them who were sent from Jerusalem to me,
that I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before Him. For he who has the bride
is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom is he who standeth and
heareth him with joy, and rejoiceth because of the voice of the bridegroom."[11]
The mystery of this matter was shown in Jesus the son of Nave, when he was bidden
to put his shoes from off him, doubt less because he himself was not the
bridegroom. For it was in the law, that whoever should refuse marriage should put
off his shoe, but that he should be shod who was to be the bridegroom: "And it
happened, when Jesus was in Jericho, he looked around with his eyes, and saw a
man standing before his face, and holding a javelin[12] in his hand, and said,
Art thou for us or for our enemies? And he said, I am the leader of the host of
the Lord; now draw near. And Jesus fell on his rice to the earth, and said to
him, Lord, what dost Thou command unto Thy servant. And the leader of the Lord's
host said, Loose thy shoe from thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is
holy ground."[13] Also, in Exodus, Moses is bidden to put off his shoe,
because he, too, was not the bridegroom: "And there appeared unto him the angel of
the Lord in a flame of fire out of a bush; and he saw that the bush burned with
fire, but the bush was not consumed. And Moses said, I will pass over and see
this great sight, why the bush is not consumed. But when He saw that he drew near
to see, the Lord God called him from the bush, saying, Moses, Moses. And he
said, What is it? And He said, Draw not nigh hither, unless thou hast loosed thy
shoe from off thy feet; for the place on which thou standest is holy ground.
And He said unto him, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, and the
God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob."[1] This was also made plain in the Gospel
according to John: "And John answered them, I indeed baptize with water, but
there standeth One in the midst of you whom ye know not: He it is of whom I said,
The man that cometh after me is made before me, the latchet of whose shoe I am
not worthy to unloose."[2] Also according to Luke: "Let your loins be girt, and
your lamps burning, and ye like to men that wait for their master when he shall
come from the wedding, that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto
him. Blessed are those servants whom their Lord, when He cometh, shall find
watching."[3] Also in the Apocalypse: "The Lord God omnipotent reigneth: let us be
glad and rejoice, and let us give to Him the honour of glory; for the marriage
of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready."[4]
- That the Jews would fasten Christ to the cross.
In Isaiah: "I have spread out my hands all day to a people disobedient and
contradicting me, who walk in ways that are not good, but after their own
sins."[5] Also in Jeremiah: "Come, let us cast the tree into His bread, and let us
blot out His life from the earth."[6] Also in Deuteronomy: "And Thy life shall
be hanging (in doubt) before Thine eyes; and Thou shall fear day and night, and
shalt not trust to Thy life."[7] Also in the twenty-first Psalm: "They tore my
hands and my feet;[8] they numbered all my bones. And they gazed upon me, and
saw me, and divided my garments among them, and upon my vesture they cast a
lot. But Thou, O Lord, remove not Thy help far from me; attend unto my help.
Deliver my soul from the sword, and my only one from the paw[9] of the dog. Save me
from the mouth of the lion, and my lowliness from the horns of the unicorns. I
will declare Thy name unto my brethren; in the midst of the Church I will
praise Thee." [10] Also in the cxviiith Psalm: "Pierce my flesh with nails through
fear of Thee."[11] Also in the cxlth Psalm: "The lifting up of my hands is an
evening sacrifice."[12] Of which sacrifice Sophonias said: "Fear from the
presence of the Lord God, since His day is near, because the Lord hath prepared His
sacrifice, He hath sanctified His elect."[13] Also in Zechariah: "And they shall
look upon me, whom they have pierced."[14] Also in the eighty-seventh Psalm: "I
have called unto Thee, O Lord, the whole day; I have stretched out my hands
unto Thee."[15] Also in Numbers: "Not as a man is God suspended, nor as the son
of man does He suffer threats."[16] Whence in the Gospel the Lord says: "As
Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be
lifted up, that whosoever believeth in the Son may have life eternal."[17]
- That in the passion and the sign of the cross is all virtue and power.
In Habakkuk: "His virtue covered the heavens, and the earth is full of His
praise, and His splendour shall be as the light; there shall be horns in His
hands. And there the virtue of His glory was established, and He founded His
strong love. Before His face shall go the Word, and shall go forth unto the plains
according to His steps."[18] In Isaiah also: "Behold, unto us a child is
born, and to us a Son is given, upon whose shoulders shall be government; and His
name shall be called the Messenger of a mighty thought."[19] By this sign of the
cross also Amalek was conquered by Jesus through Moses. In Exodus Moses said
to Jesus: "Choose thee out men, and go forth, and order yourselves with Amalek
until the morrow. Behold, I will stand on the top of the hill, and the rod of
God in mine hand. And it came to pass, when Moses lifted up his hands, Israel
prevailed; but when Moses had let down his hands, Amalek waxed strong. But the
hands of Moses were heavy; and they took a stone, and placed it under him, and he
sate upon it i and Aaron and Hur held up his hands, on the one side and on the
other side; and the hands of Moses were made steady even to the setting of the
sun. And Jesus routed Amalek and all his people. And the Lord said unto Moses,
Write this, that it may be a memorial in a book, and tell it unto the ears of
Jesus, that I may utterly destroy the memory of Amalek from under heaven."[1]
- That in this sign of the Cross is salvation for all people who are marked on
their foreheads.[2]
In Ezekiel the Lord says: "Pass through the midst of Jerusalem, and thou
shalt mark the sign I upon the men's foreheads, who groan and grieve for the
iniquities which are done in the midst of them."[3] Also in the same place: "Go
and smite, and do not spare your eyes. Have no pity on the old man, and the
youth, and the virgin, and slay little children and women, that they may be utterly
destroyed. But ye shall not touch any one upon whom the sign is written, and
begin with my holy places themselves."[4] Also in Exodus God says to Moses: "And
there shall be blood for a sign to you upon the houses wherein ye shall be; and
I will look on the blood, and will protect you. And there shall not be in you
the plague of wasting when I shall smite the land of Egypt."[5] Also in the
Apocalypse: "And I saw[6] a Lamb standing on Mount Sion, and with Him a hundred
and forty and four thousand; and they had His name and the name of His Father
written on their foreheads."[7] Also in the same place: "I am Alpha and Omega, the
first and the last, the beginning and the end. Blessed are they that do His
commandments, that they may have power over the tree of life."[8]
- That at mid-day in His passion there should be darkness.
In Amos: "And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord, the sun
shall set at noonday, and the day of light shall be darkened; and I will turn
your feast-days into grief, and all your songs into lamentation."[9] Also in
Jeremiah: "She is frightened that hath borne children, and her soul hath grown
weary. Her sun hath gone down while as vet it was mid-day; she hath been confounded
arid accursed: I will give the rest of them to the sword in the sight of their
enemies."[10] Also in the Gospel: "Now from the sixth hour there was darkness
over all the earth even to the ninth hour."[11]
- That He was not to be overcome of death, nor should remain in Hades.
In the twenty-ninth Psalm: "O Lord, Thou hast brought back my soul from
hell."[12] Also in the fifteenth Psalm: "Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell,
neither wilt Thou suffer Thine Holy One to see corruption."[13] Also in the third
Psalm: "I laid me down and slept, and rose up again, because the Lord helped
me."[14] Also according to John: "No man taketh away my life from me; but I lay
it down of myself. I have the power of laying it down, and I have the power of
taking it again. For this commandment I have received from my Father."[15]
- That He should rise again from the dead on the third day.
In Hosea: "After two days He will revive us; we shall rise again on the
third day."[16] Also in Exodus: "And the Lord said unto Moses, Go down and
testify to the people, and sanctify them to-day and to-morrow; and let them wash
their garments, and let them be prepared against the day after to-morrow. For on
the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai."[7] Also in the Gospel: "A
wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign
be given unto it but the sign of the prophet Jonas: for as Jonas was in the
whale's belly three days and three nights, so shall the Son of man be three days
and three nights in the heart of the earth."[18]
- That after He had risen again He should receive from His Father all power,
and His power should be everlasting.
In Daniel: "I saw in a vision by night, and behold as it were the Son of
man, coming in the clouds of heaven, came even to the Ancient of days, and stood
in His sight. And they who stood beside Him brought Him before Him: and to Him
was given a royal power, and all the kings of the earth by their generation,
and all glory obeying Him: and His power is eternal, which shall not be taken
away, and His kingdom shall not be destroyed."[19] Also in Isaiah: "Now will I
arise, saith the Lord; now will I be glorified, now will I be exalted, now ye
shall see, now ye shall understand, now ye shall be confounded. Vain will be the
strength of your spirit: the fire shall consume you."[20] Also in the cixth
Psalm: "The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit Thou on my fight hand, until I make Thine
enemies the footstool of Thy feet. God will send the rod of Thy power out of
Sion, and Thou shalt rule in the midst of Thine enemies."[1] Also in the
Apocalypse: "And I turned and looked to see the voice which spake with me. And I saw
seven golden candlesticks, and in the midst of the candlesticks one like unto the
Son of man, clothed with a long garment,[2] and He was girt about the paps with
a golden girdle. And His head and His hairs were white as wool or snow, and
His eyes as a flame of fire, and His feet like to fine brass from a furnace of
fire, and His voice like the sound of many waters. And He had in His right hand
seven stars: and out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword; and His face
shone as the sun in his might. And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. And
He laid His right hand upon me, and said, Fear not; I am the first and the
last, and He that liveth and was dead; and, lo, I am living for evermore[3] and I
have the keys of death and of hell."[4] Likewise in the Gospel, the Lord after
His resurrection says to His disciples: "All power is given unto me in heaven
and in earth. Go therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all
things whatsoever I have commanded you."[5]
- That it is impossible to attain to God the Father, except by His Son Jesus
Christ.
In the Gospel: "I am the way, and the truth, and the life: no one cometh
to the Father but by me."[6] Also in the same place: "I am the door: by me if
any man shall enter in, he shall be saved."[7] Also in the same place: "Many
prophets and righteous men have desired to see the things which ye see, and have
not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard
them."[8] Also in the same place: "He that believeth on the Son hath eternal life: he
that is not obedient in word to the Son hath not life; but the wrath of God
shall abide upon him."[9] Also Paul to the Ephesians: "And when He had come, He
preached peace to you, to those which are afar off, and peace to those which are
near, because through Him we both have access in one Spirit unto the
Father."[10] Also to the Romans: "For all have sinned, and fail of the glory of God; but
they are justified by His gift and grace, through the redemption which is in
Christ Jesus."[11] Also in the Epistle of Peter the apostle: "Christ hath died
once for our sins, the just for the unjust, that He might present us to God."[12]
Also in the same place: "For in this also was it preached to them that are
dead, that they might be raised again."[13] Also in the Epistle of John:
"Whosoever denieth the Son, the same also hath not the Father. He that confesseth the
Son, hath both the Son and the Father."[14]
- That Jesus Christ shall come as a Judge.
In Malachi: "Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, burning as an oven; and
all the aliens and all the wicked shall be as stubble; and the day that cometh
shall burn them up, saith the Lord."[15] Also in the forty-ninth (or fiftieth)
Psalm: "God the Lord of gods hath spoken, and called the earth. From the rising
of the sun even to the going down thereof, out of Sion is the beauty of His
glory. God shall come manifestly, our God, and shall not keep silence. A fire
shall burn before Him, and round about Him shall be a great storm. He hath called
the heaven above, and the earth, that He may separate His people. Gather
together His saints unto Him, those who arrange His covenant with sacrifices. And the
heavens shall announce His righteousness, for God is the judge."[16] Also in
Isaiah: "The Lord God of strength shall go forth, and shall break war in pieces:
He shall stir up contest, and shall cry over His enemies with strength. I have
been silent; shall I always be silent?"[17] Also in the sixty-seventh Psalm:
"Let God arise, and let His enemies be scattered: and let those who hate Him flee
from His face. As smoke vanisheth, let them vanish: as wax melteth from the
face of fire, thus let the sinners perish from the face of God. And let the
righteous be glad and rejoice in the sight of God: and let them be glad with
joyfulness. Sing unto God, sing praises unto His name: make a way to Him who goeth up
into the west. God is His name. They shall be put to confusion from the face of
Him who is the Father of the orphans, and the Judge of the widows. God is in
His holy place: God, who maketh men to dwell with one mind in an house, bringing
forth them that are bound with might, and equally those who provoke unto
anger, who dwell in the sepulchres: God, when Thou wentest forth in the sight of Thy
people, in passing into the desert."[18] Also in the eighty-first Psalm:
"Arise, O God; judge the earth: for Thou wilt exterminate among all nations."(1)
Also in the Gospel according to Matthew: "What have we to do with Thee, Thou Son
of David? why art Thou come hither to punish us before the time?"(2) Likewise
according to John: "The Father judgeth nothing, but hath given all judgment to
the Son, that all may honour the Son as they honour the Father. He that honoureth
not the Son, honoureth not the Father who hath sent Him."(3) So too in the
second Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians: "We must all appear before the
judgment-seat of Christ, that every one may bear the things proper to his body,
according to those things which he hath done, whether they be good or evil."(4)
- That He will reign as a King for ever.
In Zechariah: "Tell ye the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy King cometh unto
thee: just, and having salvation; meek, sitting upon an as that hath not been
tamed."(5) Also in Isaiah: "Who will declare to you that eternal place? He that
walketh in righteousness, and holdeth back his hands from gifts; stopping his
ears. that he may not hear the judgment of blood; and closing his eyes, that he
may not see unrighteousness: this man shall dwell in the lofty cavern of the
strong rock; bread shall be given him, and his water shall be sure. Ye shall see
the King with glory."(6) Likewise in Malachi: "I am a great King, saith the
Lord, and my name is illustrious among the nations."(7) Also in the second Psalm:
"But I am established as a King by Him upon His holy hill of Zion, announcing
His empire."(8) Also in the twenty-first Psalm: "All the ends of the world shall
be reminded, and shall turn to the Lord: and all the countries of the nations
shall worship in Thy sight. For the kingdom is the Lord's: and He shall rule
over all nations."(9) Also in the twenty-third Psalm: "Lift up your gates, ye
princes; and be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall
come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord strong
in battle. Lift up your gates, O ye princes; and be ye lifted up, ye everlasting
doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The
Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory."(10) Also in the forty-fourth Psalm: "My
heart hath breathed forth a good discourse:(11) I tell my works to the king: my
tongue is the pen of a writer intelligently writing. Thou art lovely in beauty
above the children of men: grace is shed forth on Thy lips, because God hath
blessed Thee for ever. Be girt with Thy sword on Thy thigh, O most mighty. To Thy
honour and to Thy beauty both attend, and direct Thyself, and reign, because
of truth, and meekness, and righteousness."(12) Also in the fifth Psalm: "My
King, and my God, because unto Thee will I pray. O Lord, in the morning Thou shalt
hear my voice; in the morning I will stand before Thee, and will contemplate
Thee."(13) Also in the ninety-sixth Psalm: "The Lord hath reigned; let the earth
rejoice; let the many isles be glad."(14) Moreover, in the forty-fourth Psalm:
"The queen stood at thy right hand in a golden garment; she is clothed in many
colours. Hear, O daughter, and see, and incline thine ear, and forget thy
people and thy father's house; for the King hath desired thy beauty, for He is thy
Lord God."(15) Also in the seventy-third Psalm: "But God is our King before the
world; He hath wrought salvation in the midst of the earth."(16) Also in the
Gospel according to Matthew: "And when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judah in
the days of Herod the king, behold, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem,
saying, Where is He who is born King of the Jews? for we have seen His star in the
east, and have come to worship Him."(17) Also, according to John, Jesus said: "My
kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants
would be in trouble, that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now is my
kingdom not from hence. Pilate said, Art thou a king, then? Jesus answered, Thou
sayest that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I am
come into the world, that I might bear testimony to the truth. Every one that is
of the truth heareth my voice."(18)
- That He Himself is both Judge and King.
In the seventy-first Psalm: "O God, give Thy judgment to the king, and Thy
righteousness to the king's son, to judge Thy people in righteousness."(19)
Also in the Apocalypse: "And I saw the heaven opened, and behold a white horse;
and He who sate upon him was called Faithful and True; and He judgeth justice
and righteousness, and maketh war. And His eyes were. as it were, a flame of
fire, and upon His head were many crowns; and He bare a name written that was known
to none other than Himself': and He was clothed with a garment sprinkled with
blood, and His name is called the Word of God. And the armies which are in
heaven followed Him on white horses, clothed in linen white and Clean. And out of
His mouth went forth a sword with two edges, that with it He should smite the
nations, which He shall shepherd(1) with a rod of iron; and He shall tread the
winepress of the wrath of God Almighty. Also He has on His garment and on His
thigh the name written, King of kings, and Lord of lords."(2) Likewise in the
Gospel: "When the Son of man shall come in His glory, and all the angels with Him,
then He shall sit in the throne of His glory; and all nations shall be gathered
together before Him, and He shall separate them one from another, even as a
shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He shall place the sheep at His
right hand, but the goats at His left hand. Then shall the King say unto them
who shall be at His right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, receive the
kingdom which is prepared for you from the beginning of the world: for I was hungry,
and ye gave me to eat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me to drink: I was a
stranger, and ye received me: naked, and ye clothed me: sick, and ye visited me: I was
in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer, and say unto
Him, Lord, when saw we Thee hungry, and fed Thee? thirsty, and gave Thee to
drink? And when saw we Thee a stranger, and received Thee? naked, and clothed
Thee? And when saw we Thee sick, and in prison, and came unto Thee? And the King,
answering, shall say unto them, Verily I say unto you, In as far as ye have done
it to the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Then shall He
say unto them who shall be on His left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into
everlasting fire, which my Father hath prepared(3) for the devil and his angels:
for I have been hungry, and ye gave me not to eat: I have been thirsty, and ye
gave me not to drink: I was a stranger, and ye received me not: naked, and ye
clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also
answer and say, Lord, when saw we Thee hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or
naked, or sick, or in prison, and have not ministered unto Thee? And He shall
answer unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have not done it to one of
the least of these, ye have not done it unto me. And these shall go away into
everlasting burning, but the righteous into life eternal."(4)