UNBELIEF OF JEWS by Saint Athanasius
"FORMER confounded by their own Scriptures. Prophecies of His coming as God and
as Man.
These things being so, and the Resurrection of His body and the victory
gained over death by the Saviour being clearly proved, come now let us put to
rebuke both the disbelief of the Jews and the scoffing of the Gentiles. 2. For
these, perhaps, are the points where Jews express incredulity, while Gentiles
laugh, finding fault with the unseemliness of the Cross, and of the Word of
God becoming man. But our argument shall not delay to grapple with both
especially as the proofs at our command against them are clear as day. 3. For
Jews in their incredulity may be refuted from the Scriptures, which even
themselves read; for this text and that, and, in a word, the whole inspired
Scripture, cries aloud concerning these things, as even its express words
abundantly shew. For prophets proclaimed beforehand concerning the wonder of
the Virgin and the birth from her, saying: "Lo, the Virgin shall be with
child, and shall bring forth a Son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel,
which is, being interpreted, God with us." 4. But Moses, the truly great, and
whom they believe to speak truth, with reference to the Saviour's becoming
man, having estimated what was said as important, and assured of its truth,
set it down in these words: "There shall rise a star out of Jacob, and a
man out of Israel, and he shall break in pieces the captains of Moab." And
again: "How lovely are thy habitations O Jacob, thy tabernacles O Israel, as
shadowing gardens, and as parks by the rivers, and as tabernacles which the
Lord hath fixed, as cedars by the waters. A man shall come forth out of his
seed, and shall be Lord over many peoples." And again, Esaias: "Before the
Child know how to call father or mother, he shall take the power of Damascus
and the spoils 'of Samaria before the king of Assyria." 5. That a man, then,
shall appear is foretold in those words. But that He that is to come is Lord
of all, they predict once more as follows: "Behold the Lord sitteth upon a
light cloud, and shall come into Egypt, and the graven images of Egypt shall
be shaken." For from thence also it is that the Father calls Him back, saying:
"I called My Son out of Egypt."
34. Prophecies of His passion and death in all its circumstances. Nor is even
His death passed over in silence: on the contrary, it is referred to in the
divine Scriptures, even exceeding clearly. For to the end that none should err
for want of instruction :in the actual events, they feared not to mention even
the cause of His death,--that He suffers it not for His own sake, but for the
immortality and salvation of all, and the counsels of the Jews against Him and
the indignities offered Him at their hands. 2. They say then: "A man in
stripes, and knowing how to bear weakness, for his face is turned away: he was
dishonoured and held in no account. He beareth our sins, and is in pain on our
account; and we reckoned him to be in labour, and in stripes, and in
ill-usage; but he was wounded for our sins, and made weak for our wickedness.
The chastisement of our peace was upon him, and by his stripes we were
healed." O marvel at the loving-kindness of the Word, that for our sakes He is
dishonoured, that we may be brought to honour. "For all we," it says, "like
sheep were gone astray; man had erred in his way; and the Lord delivered him
for our sins; and he openeth not his mouth, because he hath been evilly
entreated. As a sheep was he brought to the slaughter, and as a lamb dumb
before his shearer, so openeth he not his mouth: in his abasement his judgment
was taken away." 3. Then lest any should from His suffering conceive Him
to be a common man, Holy Writ anticipates the surmises of man, and declares
the power (which worked) for Him, and the difference of His nature
compared with ourselves, saying: "But who shall declare his generation? For
his life is taken away from the earth. From the wickedness of the people
was he brought to death. And I will give the wicked instead of his burial, and
the rich instead of his death; for he did no wickedness, neither was guile
found in his mouth. And the Lord will cleanse him from his stripes."
35. Prophecies of the Cross. How these prophecies are satisfied in Christ
alone.
But, perhaps, having heard the prophecy of His death, you ask to learn
also what is set forth concerning the Cross. For not even this is passed over:
it is displayed by the holy men with great plainness. 2. For first Moses
predicts it, and that with a loud voice, when he
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says: "Ye shall see your Life hanging before your eyes, and shall not
believe." 3. And next, the prophets after him witness of this, saying: "But s
I as an innocent lamb brought to be slain, knew it not; they counselled an
evil counsel against me, saying, Hither and let us cast a tree upon his
bread, and efface him from the land of the living." 4. And again: "They
pierced my hands and my feet, they numbered all my bones, they parted my
garments among them, and for my vesture they cast lots." 5. Now a death raised
aloft and that takes place on a tree, could be none other than the Cross: and
again, in no other death are the hands and feet pierced, save on the Cross
only. 6. But since by the sojourn of the Saviour among men all nations also on
every side began to know God; they did not leave this point, either, without a
reference but mention is made of this matter as well in the Holy Scriptures.
For "there a shall be," he saith, "the root of Jesse, and he that riseth to
rule the nations, on him shall the nations hope." This then is a little in
proof of what has happened. 7. But all Scripture teems with refutations of the
disbelief of the Jews. For which of the righteous men and holy prophets, and
patriarchs, recorded in the divine Scriptures, ever had his corporal birth of
a virgin only? Or what woman has sufficed without man for the conception of
human kind? Was not Abel born of Adam, Enoch of Jared, Noe of Lamech, and
Abraham of Tharra, Isaac of Abraham, Jacob of Isaac? Was not Judas born of
Jacob, and Moses and Aaron of Ameram? Was not Samuel born of Elkana, was not
David of Jesse, was not Solomon of David, was not Ezechias of Achaz, was not
Josias of Amos, was not Esaias of Amos, was not Jeremy of Chelchias, was not
Ezechiel of Buzi? Had not each a father as author of his existence? Who then
is he that is born of a virgin only? For the prophet made exceeding much of
this sign. 8. Or whose birth did a star in the skies forerun, to announce to
the world him that was born? For when Moses was born, he was hid by his
parents: David was not heard of, even by those of his neighbourhood, inasmuch
as even the great Samuel knew him not, but asked, had Jesse yet another son?
Abraham again became known to his neighbours as a great man only
subsequently to his birth. But of Christ's birth the witness was not man, but
a star in that heaven whence He was descending.
36. Prophecies of Christ's sovereignty, flight
into Egypt, &c.
But what king that ever was, before he had strength to call father or
mother, reigned and gained triumphs over his enemies [10]? Did not David come
to the throne at thirty years of age, and Solomon, when he had grown to be a
young man? Did not Joas enter on the kingdom when seven years old, and Josias,
a still later king, receive the government about the seventh year of his age?
And yet they at that age had strength to call father or mother. 2. Who, then,
is there that was reigning and spoiling his enemies almost before his birth?
Or what king of this sort has ever been in Israel and in Juda--let the Jews,
who haves searched out the matter, tell us--in whom all the nations have
placed their hopes and had peace, instead of being at enmity with them on
every side? 3. For as long as Jerusalem stood there was war without respite
betwixt them, and they all fought with Israel; the Assyrians oppressed them,
the Egyptians persecuted them, the Babylonians fell upon them; and, strange to
say, they had even the Syrians their neighbours at war against them. Or did
not David war against them of Moab, and smite the Syrians, Josias guard
against his neighbours, and Ezechias quail at the boasting of Senacherim, and
Amalek make war against Moses, and the Amorites oppose him, and the
inhabitants of Jericho array themselves against Jesus son of Naue? And, in a
word, treaties of friendship had no place between the nations and Israel. Who,
then, it is on whom the nations are to set their hope, it is worth while to
see. For there must be such an one, as it is impossible for the prophet to
have spoken falsely. 4. But which of the holy prophets or of the early
patriarchs has died on the Cross for the salvation of all? Or who was wounded
and destroyed for the healing of all? Or which of the righteous men, or kings,
went down to Egypt, so that at his coming the idols of Egypt fell? For
Abraham went thither, but idolatry prevailed universally all the same. Moses
was born there, and the deluded worship of the people was there none the less.
37. Psalm xxii. 16, &c. Majesty of His birth and death.Confusion of oracles
and demons in Egypt.
Or who among those recorded in Scripture was pierced in the hands and
feet, or hung
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at all upon a tree, and was sacrificed on a cross for the salvation of all?
For Abraham died, ending his life on a bed; Isaac and Jacob also died with
their feet raised on a bed; Moses and Aaron died on the mountain; David in his
house, without being the object of any conspiracy at the hands of the people;
true, he was pursued by Saul, but he was preserved unhurt. Esaias was sawn
asunder, but not hung on a tree. Jeremy was shamefully treated, but did not
die under condemnation; Ezechie suffered, not however for the people, but to
indicate what was to come upon the people. 2. Again, these, even where they
suffered, were men resembling all in their common nature; but he that is
declared in Scripture to suffer on behalf of all is called not merely man, but
the Life of all, albeit He was in fact like men in nature. For "ye shall
see," it says, "your Life hanging before your eyes;" and "who shall declare
his generation?" For one can ascertain the genealogy of all the saints, and
declare it from the beginning, and of whom each was born; but the generation
of Him that is the Life the Scriptures refer to as not to be declared. 3. Who
then is he of whom the Divine Scriptures say this? Or who is so great that
even the prophets predict of him such great things? None else, now, is found
in the Scriptures but the common Saviour of all, the Word of God, our Lord
Jesus Christ. For He it is that proceeded from a virgin and appeared as man on
the earth, and whose generation after the flesh cannot be declared. For there
is none that can tell His father after the flesh, His body not being of a man,
but of a virgin alone; 4. so that no one can declare the corporal generation
of the Saviour from a man, in the same way as one can draw up a genealogy of
David and of Moses and of all the patriarchs. For He it is that caused the
star also to mark the birth of His body; since it was fit that the Word,
coming down from heaven, should have His constellation also from heaven, and
it was fitting that the King of Creation when He came forth should be openly
recognized by all creation. 5. Why, He was born in Judaea, and men from Persia
came to worship Him. He it is that even before His appearing in the body won
the victory over His demon adversaries and a triumph over idolatry. All
heathen at any rate from every region, abjuring their hereditary tradition and
the impiety of idols, are now placing their hope in Christ, and enrolling
themselves under Him, the like of which you may see with your own eyes. 6. For
at no other time has the impiety of the Egyptians ceased, save when the Lord
of all, riding as it were upon a cloud, came down there in the body and
brought to nought the delusion of idols, and brought over all to Himself, and
through Himself to the Father.
7. He it is that was crucified before the sun and all creation as witnesses,
and before those who put Him to death: and by His death has salvation come to
all, and all creation been ransomed. He is the Life of all, and He it is that
as a sheep yielded His body to death as a substitute, for the salvation of
all, even though the Jews believe it not.
38. Other clear prophecies of the coming of God in the flesh. Christ's
miracles unprecedented. |
