That Christ is the firstborn, and that he is the Wisdom of God, through whom all things were made.
1 In Solomon, in Proverbs: “The Lord created me the beginning of his ways for his works; before the age he founded me. In the beginning, before he made the earth and before he established the depths, before the springs of water came forth, before the mountains were set in place, before all the hills the Lord begot me. He made the lands and the uninhabited places and the uninhabitable bounds under heaven. When he prepared the heaven, I was with him, and when he set apart his throne; when he made the clouds above strong over the winds, and when he set the springs firm under heaven, when he made strong the foundations of the earth, I was beside him, setting things in order. I was the one in whom he rejoiced; and daily I delighted before his face at all times, when he rejoiced in the completed world.” 2 Likewise in the same, in Ecclesiasticus: “I came forth from the mouth of the Most High before every creature. I made an unfailing light to rise in the heavens, and I covered all the earth with mist. I dwelt in the heights, and my throne was in a pillar of cloud. I went round the circuit of heaven and penetrated into the depth of the abyss, and walked on the waves of the sea, and stood on all the earth, and in every people and in every nation I held the first place, and by my power I trod upon the hearts of all, the lofty and the lowly. In me is all hope of life and virtue. Come over to me, all you who desire me.” 3 Likewise in Psalm 88: “And I will make him the firstborn, high above the kings of the earth. For ever I will keep my mercy for him, and my covenant will be faithful to him; and I will establish his seed for ever and ever, and his throne as the days of heaven. If his sons forsake my law and do not walk in my judgments, if they profane my statutes and do not keep my commandments, I will visit their iniquities with a rod and their sins with scourges; but my mercy I will not turn away from them.” 4 Likewise according to John the Lord says: “And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and him whom you sent, Jesus Christ. I have glorified you on earth; I have finished the work which you gave me to do. And now glorify me with yourself, with the glory which I had with you before the world was made.” 5 Likewise the apostle Paul to the Colossians: “Who is the image of the invisible God and the firstborn of all creation.” 6 Likewise there: “The firstborn from the dead, that he himself might hold the first place in all things.” 7 Likewise in the Apocalypse: “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To him who thirsts I will give from the fountain of the water of life freely.” 8 That the same is both the Wisdom and the Power of God. The apostle Paul in the first to the Corinthians: “For Jews desire signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to the nations foolishness, but to those who are called, Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.”
That Christ is the Wisdom of God; and on the sacrament of his incarnation and passion, and of the cup and the altar, and of the apostles who were sent and preached.
1 In Solomon, in Proverbs: “Wisdom has built herself a house and set under it seven pillars. She has slain her victim, mixed her wine in the bowl, and prepared her table; and she has sent her servants, calling with a lofty proclamation to the bowl, saying: Whoever is simple, let him turn aside to me. And to those who lack sense she said: Come, eat of my bread and drink the wine that I have mixed for you. Forsake folly, and seek prudence, and correct understanding with knowledge.”
That Christ is also the Word of God.
1 In Psalm 44: “My heart has poured forth a good word; I speak my works to the king.” 2 Likewise in Psalm 32: “By the word of the Lord the heavens were made firm, and all their power by the breath of his mouth.” 3 Likewise in Isaiah the prophet: “A word completing and cutting short in righteousness; for God will make a shortened word in the whole world.” 4 Likewise in Psalm 106: “He sent his word and healed them.” 5 Likewise in the Gospel according to John: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him nothing was made that was made. In him is life, and the life was the light of men; and the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” 6 Likewise in the Apocalypse: “And I saw heaven opened, and there was a white horse, and he who sat on it was called Faithful and True; he judges fairly and justly and makes war; and he was clothed with a garment sprinkled with blood, and his name is called the Word of God.”
That Christ is also the hand and arm of God.
1 In Isaiah: “Is the hand of the Lord not strong to save, or will he make his ear heavy so as not to hear? But your sins separate between you and God, and because of your sins he has turned his face from you, so as not to have mercy. For your hands are defiled with blood and your fingers with sins; your lips have spoken wickedness, and your tongue meditates injustice. No one speaks the truth, and there is no true judgment. They trust in vain things and speak empty things; they conceive sorrow and bring forth wickedness.” 2 Likewise there: “Lord, who has believed our report, and to whom has the arm of God been revealed?” 3 Likewise there: “Thus says the Lord: Heaven is my throne and the earth the footstool of my feet. What house will you build for me, or what place for my rest? For my hand has made all these things.” 4 Likewise there: “Lord God, your arm is lifted high, and they did not know it; but when they know it, they will be confounded.” 5 Likewise there: “God will reveal his holy arm in the sight of all the nations, and all the nations, the very ends of the earth, will see the salvation from God.” 6 Likewise there: “Look, I have made you like the new wheels of a threshing cart, turned like a saw; and you will thresh the mountains and grind the hills small and make them like dust, and you will winnow them, and the wind will seize them and the storm scatter them. But you will rejoice in the holy ones of Israel, and the poor and needy will exult. They will seek water, and there will be none, for their tongue will be parched with thirst. I, the Lord God, I, the God of Israel, will hear, and I will not forsake them, but I will open rivers among the mountains and springs in the midst of the plains; I will make the deserts into watered groves and the thirsty land into aqueducts. I will set in the waterless land the cedar and the box and the myrtle and the cypress and the elm and the poplar, that they may see and know and understand and believe together that the hand of the Lord has done these things and the Holy One of Israel has shown them.”
That the same is both Angel and God.
1 In Genesis to Abraham: “And the angel of the Lord called him from heaven and said to him: Abraham, Abraham. And he said: Here I am. And he said: Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear your God and have not spared your most beloved son for my sake.” 2 Likewise there to Jacob: “And the angel of the Lord said to me in a dream: I am the God whom you saw in the place of God, where you anointed for me a pillar of stone and vowed a vow to me.” 3 Likewise in Exodus: “And God went before them, by day in a pillar of cloud to show them the way, and by night in a pillar of fire.” 4 Likewise there: “And the angel of God, who went before the army of the sons of Israel, moved.” 5 Likewise there: “Look, I send my angel before your face to guard you on the way, to bring you into the land that I have prepared for you. Heed him and obey him, and do not be disobedient to him; for he will not fail you; for my name is in him.” Hence he himself says in the Gospel: “I have come in my Father's name, and you have not received me; when another comes in his own name, him you will receive.” And again in Psalm 117: “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” 6 Likewise in Malachi the prophet: “My covenant was with life and peace, and I gave him fear, to fear me, to go forth from the face of my name. The law of truth was in his mouth, and injustice was not found on his lips. In peace, correcting, he walked with us and turned many away from injustice. For the lips of the priest will keep knowledge, and they will seek the law from his mouth, for he is the angel of the Lord almighty.”
That Christ is God.
1 In Genesis: “And God said to Jacob: Arise and go up to the place Bethel and live there, and make there an altar to the God who appeared to you when you fled from the face of Esau your brother.” 2 Likewise in Isaiah the prophet: “Thus says the Lord God of hosts: Egypt is wearied, and the merchandise of the Ethiopians, and the Sabeans, men of stature, will come over to you and will be your servants, and they will walk after you bound in fetters, and will worship you and pray in you; for God is in you, and there is no other God besides you. For you are God, and we did not know it, the God of Israel, the Savior. All who oppose you will be confounded and ashamed and will fall in confusion.” 3 Likewise there: “A voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord; make straight the paths of our God. Every valley will be filled, and every mountain and hill brought low; and all crooked things will become straight, and rough places level ways; and the glory of the Lord will be seen, and all flesh will see the salvation of God, for the Lord has spoken.” 4 Likewise in Jeremiah the prophet: “This is our God, and no other will be considered alongside him, who found out every way of understanding and gave it to Jacob his servant and to Israel his beloved. Afterwards he was seen on earth and lived among men.” 5 Likewise in Zechariah the prophet God says: “And they will pass through the narrow sea and strike the waves in the sea, and all the depths of the rivers will be dried up, and all the insolence of the Assyrians will be confounded, and the scepter of Egypt will be taken away; and I will strengthen them in the Lord their God, and in his name they will glory, says the Lord.” 6 Likewise in Hosea the prophet God says: “I will not act according to the anger of my indignation; I will not allow Ephraim to be destroyed; for I am God, and not a man, the Holy One in you, and I will not enter the city; I will go after the Lord.” 7 Likewise in Psalm 44: “Your throne, God, is for ever and ever; a straight scepter is the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated iniquity; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness above your fellows.” 8 Likewise in Psalm 45: “Be still and see that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, and I will be exalted in the earth.” 9 Likewise in Psalm 81: “They have not known nor understood; they walk in darkness.” 10 Likewise in Psalm 67: “Sing to God, sing praise to his name, make a way for him who ascends toward the west; the Lord is his name.” 11 Likewise in the Gospel according to John: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” 12 Likewise there the Lord says to Thomas: “Put your finger here and see my hands, and do not be unbelieving but believing. And Thomas answered and said to him: My Lord and my God. Jesus says to him: Because you have seen, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and believe.” 13 Likewise Paul to the Romans: “I myself wished to be accursed from Christ for the sake of my brothers, who are my kin according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom belong the adoption and the glory and the covenant and the giving of the law and the service and the promises; whose are the fathers, and from whom is Christ according to the flesh, who is God over all, blessed for ever.” 14 Likewise in the Apocalypse: “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To him who thirsts I will give from the fountain of the water of life freely. He who overcomes will possess these things and their inheritance, and I will be his God, and he will be my son.” 15 Likewise in Psalm 81: “God has stood in the assembly of gods, and in the midst he judges gods.” 16 Likewise there: “I said: You are gods, and all sons of the Most High; but you will die like men.” But if those who have been righteous and have obeyed the divine precepts can be called gods, how much more is Christ, the Son of God, God! As he himself says in the Gospel according to John: “Is it not written in the law, I said, You are gods? If he called them gods, and it cannot be undone, do you say of him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, He blasphemes, because I said, I am the Son of God? If I do not do the works of my Father, do not believe me; but if I do them and you will not believe me, believe the works, and know that the Father is in me and I in him.” 17 Likewise in the Gospel according to Matthew: “And you will call his name Emmanuel, which is interpreted, God with us.”
That Christ as God was to come as the enlightener and Savior of the human race.
1 In Isaiah the prophet: “Be strong, you weak hands and feeble knees; take courage. You who are faint-hearted, do not fear. Our God will pass judgment; he himself will come and save us. Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf will hear; then the lame will leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb will be clear; for water has broken out in the desert and a stream in the thirsty land.” 2 Likewise there: “Not an elder nor an angel, but the Lord himself will deliver them, because he will love them and spare them; he himself will redeem them.” 3 Likewise there: “I, the Lord God, have called you in righteousness, that I may hold your hand; and I will strengthen you, and I have given you as a covenant of my race, as a light of the nations, to open the eyes of the blind, to bring the bound out of their chains, and those who sit in darkness out of the prison house. I am the Lord God; this is my name. My glory I will not give to another, nor my powers to carved images.” 4 Likewise in Psalm 24: “Make your ways known to me, Lord, and teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior.” Hence in the Gospel according to John the Lord says: “I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” 5 Likewise according to Matthew the angel Gabriel says to Joseph: “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife; for what is born of her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bear a son, and you will call his name Jesus; for he will save the people from their sins.” 6 Likewise according to Luke: “And Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying: Blessed be the God of Israel, who has brought about redemption for his people and has raised up for us a horn of salvation in the house of David his servant.” 7 Likewise there the angel to the shepherds: “Do not be afraid; for I announce to you that there is born to you today a Savior, who is Christ Jesus, in the city of David.”
That although he had been the Son of God from the beginning, he was to be born anew according to the flesh.
1 In the second Psalm: “The Lord said to me: You are my Son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance and the ends of the earth as your possession.” 2 Likewise in the Gospel: “And it came to pass, when Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the infant leaped in her womb; and she was filled with the Holy Spirit and cried out with a loud voice and said: Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” 3 Likewise Paul to the Thessalonians, second letter: “But when the fullness of time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman.” 4 Likewise in the letter of John: “Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God; but he who denies that he has come in the flesh is not of God, but is of the spirit of antichrist.”
That this would be the sign of his birth, that he should be born of a virgin, man and God, Son of man and of God.
1 In Isaiah the prophet: “And the Lord spoke again to Ahaz, saying: Ask for yourself a sign from the Lord your God, in the height above or in the depth below. And Ahaz said: I will not ask, nor will I tempt the Lord my God. And he said: Hear then, O house of David. It is no small contest for you with men, since God is putting on the contest. Therefore God himself will give you a sign: Look, a virgin will conceive in the womb and bear a son, and you will call his name Emmanuel. He will eat butter and honey; before he knows or brings forth evil, he will exchange it for good.” This is the seed that God had foretold would come forth from the woman, to trample the devil's head. In Genesis: “Then God said to the serpent: Because you have done this, you are cursed above all cattle and every kind of beast of the earth. On your breast and belly you will crawl, and earth will be your food all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He will trample your head, and you will watch for his heel.”
That Christ is both man and God, formed of both natures, so that he might be a mediator between us and the Father.
1 In Jeremiah the prophet: “And he is man, and who will know him?” 2 Likewise in Numbers: “A star will rise from Jacob, and a man will rise up from Israel.” 3 Likewise there: “A man will come forth from his seed and will rule over many nations, and his kingdom will be exalted above Gog, and his kingdom will be increased. And God brought him out of Egypt; he has as it were the glory of the unicorn, and he will devour the nations of his enemies and suck out the marrow of their fatness and pierce the enemy with his darts. Lying down he rested like a lion and like a lion's whelp: who will rouse him? Those who bless you are blessed, and those who curse you are cursed.” 4 Likewise in Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor; he has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim release to captives and sight to the blind, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord and the day of recompense.” Hence in the Gospel Gabriel to Mary: “And the angel answered and said to her: The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the holy one who is born will be called the Son of God.” 5 Likewise in the first letter of Paul to the Corinthians: “The first man is from the clay of the earth, the second man from heaven. As was the one from clay, so are those from clay; and as is the heavenly one, so are the heavenly. As we have borne the image of him who is from clay, let us also bear the image of him who is from heaven.”
That he was to be born of the seed of David according to the flesh.
1 In the second book of Kingdoms: “And the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying: Go and say to my servant David: Thus says the Lord: You shall not build me a house to live in; but it shall be, when your days are fulfilled and you sleep with your fathers, I will raise up your seed after you, who will be from your womb, and I will prepare his kingdom. He will build a house for my name, and I will establish his throne for ever; and I will be to him a father, and he will be to me a son; and his house will obtain faithfulness, and his kingdom for ever in my sight.” 2 Likewise in Isaiah: “And a rod will come forth from the root of Jesse, and a flower will rise up from the root; and the Spirit of God will rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and godliness; the spirit of the fear of God will fill him.” 3 Likewise in Psalm 131: “The Lord swore truth to David himself, and he will not disappoint him: Of the fruit of your womb I will set upon my throne.” 4 Likewise in the Gospel according to Luke: “And the angel said to her: Do not fear, Mary, for you have found favor before God. Look, you will conceive in the womb and bear a son, and you will call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” 5 Likewise in the Apocalypse: “And I saw a book in the right hand of God, who sat upon the throne, 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 open its seals? And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the book or even look at it. And I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open the book or to see it. And one of the elders said to me: Do not weep; look, the lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has conquered, to open the book and its seven seals.”
That he would be born in Bethlehem.
1 In Micah: “And you, Bethlehem, house of Ephrathah, are you too small to be set among the thousands of Judah? From you will come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, and his goings forth are from the beginning, from the days of the age.” 2 Likewise in the Gospel: “And when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi came from the east to Jerusalem, saying: Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east and have come to worship him.”
That he would come in humility at his first coming.
1 In Isaiah: “Lord, who has believed our report, and to whom has the arm of God been revealed? We announced before him like children, like a root in thirsty ground. He has no form nor glory; and we saw him, and he had no form nor beauty, but his form was without honor and failing beyond other men. A man set in affliction and knowing how to bear weakness; because his face was turned away, he was dishonored and not esteemed. He bears our sins and grieves for us, and we thought him to be in sorrow and in affliction and in torment; but he was wounded for our misdeeds and weakened for our sins. The discipline of our peace was upon him; by his bruise we are healed. We all like sheep have gone astray; man has strayed in his own way. And God delivered him up for our sins, and because he was tormented he did not open his mouth.” 2 Likewise in the same: “I am not stubborn, nor do I speak against it. I gave my back to the scourges and my cheeks to blows, and I did not turn my face from the foulness of spitting; and the Lord was my helper.” 3 Likewise there: “He will not cry out, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and smoking flax he will not quench, but he will bring forth judgment in truth. He will shine and will not be shaken until he establishes judgment on the earth, and in his name the nations will believe.” 4 Likewise in Psalm 21: “But I am a worm and no man, a reproach of men and the outcast of the people. All who saw me mocked me; they spoke with their lips and shook the head: He hoped in the Lord; let him rescue him, let him save him, since he delights in him.” 5 Likewise there: “My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue has stuck to my throat.” 6 Likewise in Zechariah: “And the Lord showed me Joshua, the great priest, standing before the face of the angel of the Lord, and the devil stood at his right hand to oppose him. And Joshua was clothed in filthy garments and stood before the face of the angel; and he answered and said to those who stood before his face: Take the filthy garments from him. And he said to him: Look, I have taken away your iniquities. And clothe him with a long robe, and set a clean turban on his head.” 7 Likewise the apostle Paul to the Philippians: “Who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, made in the likeness of man; and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also exalted him and gave him a name, that it might be above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that the Lord Jesus is in the glory of God the Father.”
That he is the Righteous One whom the Jews would kill.
1 In the Wisdom of Solomon: “Let us lie in wait for the righteous man, for he is useless to us and opposed to our works, and he reproaches us with our sins against the law. He professes to have knowledge of God and names himself a son of God. He has become to us a reproof of our thoughts; he is burdensome to us even to look upon, for his life is unlike others', and his ways are different. He considers us triflers; he keeps himself from our ways as from uncleanness, and he extols the end of the righteous and boasts of God as his father. Let us see, then, whether his words are true, and let us test what will happen to him. Let us examine him with insult and torment, that we may learn his reverence and prove his patience. Let us condemn him to a most shameful death. These things they thought, and they went astray; for their own malice blinded them, and they did not know the mysteries of God.” 2 Likewise in Isaiah: “See how the righteous man perishes, and no one understands; and righteous men are taken away, and no one considers it. For the righteous is taken away from the face of injustice; his burial will be in peace.” Of this very thing it was foretold in Exodus: “You shall not kill the innocent and righteous.” 3 Likewise in the Gospel: “Judas, led by remorse, said to the priests and elders: I have sinned in betraying righteous blood.”
That he was called a sheep and a lamb, who was to be slain; and on the sacrament of the passion.
1 In Isaiah: “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and like a lamb dumb before its shearer, so he did not open his mouth. In his humiliation his judgment was taken away; but who will declare his generation? For his life will be taken away from the earth; by the misdeeds of my people he was led away to death. And I will give the wicked for his burial and the rich for his death, because he did no misdeed nor deceit with his mouth. Therefore he will obtain many and divide the plunders of the strong, because his soul was delivered up to death and he was counted among the wicked; and he bore the sins of many and was delivered up for their misdeeds.” 2 Likewise in Jeremiah the prophet: “Lord, show me, and I shall know; then I saw their plans. I, like an innocent lamb, was led to the slaughter. Against me they devised a plan, saying: Come, let us put wood into his bread and root out his life from the earth, and his name will be remembered no more.” 3 Likewise in Exodus the Lord God said to Moses: “Let each man take a sheep for himself, by the houses of the tribes, a sheep without blemish, perfect, male, a year old it shall be for you; you shall take it from the lambs and the kids. And the whole multitude of the assembly of the sons of Israel shall kill it toward evening, and they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses in which they eat it; and they shall eat the flesh that night, roasted with fire, and eat unleavened bread with bitter herbs. You shall not eat of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted with fire, the head with the feet and the inner parts. You shall leave nothing of it until morning, and you shall not break a bone of it. Whatever is left of it until morning shall be burned with fire. And you shall eat it thus: your belts fastened, your shoes on your feet, and your staffs in your hands; and you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord's Passover.” 4 Likewise 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 though slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. And he came and took the book from the right hand of God, who sat on the throne. And when he had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having golden harps and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints; and they sang a new song, saying: You are worthy to take the book and open its seals, for you were slain and have bought us with your blood from every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they will reign on the earth.” 5 Likewise in the Gospel: “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said: Look at the Lamb of God, look at him who takes away the sins of the world.”
That he was also called a stone.
1 In Isaiah the prophet the Lord says thus: “Look, I lay in the foundations of Zion a precious stone, chosen, chief, a cornerstone, honored; and whoever believes in it will not be put to shame.” 2 Likewise in Psalm 117: “The stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner. This was done by the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day which the Lord has made; let us exult and rejoice in it. Lord, save me; Lord, give good success. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” 3 Likewise in Zechariah: “Look, I bring my servant; the Dawn is his name. For the stone which I have set before the face of Joshua, upon that one stone are seven eyes.” 4 Likewise in Deuteronomy: “And you shall write upon the stone all this law very plainly.” 5 Likewise in Joshua the son of Nun: “And he took a great stone and set it up there before the Lord, and Joshua said to the people: Look, this stone shall be a witness, for it has heard all the things that were spoken by the Lord, all that he has spoken to you today; and it shall be a witness to you in the last of days, when you depart from your God.” 6 Likewise in the Acts of the Apostles Peter says: “Rulers of the people and elders of Israel, look, we are being examined by you today concerning a good deed done to a sick man, by what means he has been made well. Let it be known to you all and to all the people of Israel that in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, in him this man stands before you whole, and in no other. This is the stone which was despised by you, the builders, which has become the head of the corner. For there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” 7 This is the stone in Genesis which Jacob placed at his head, for the head of man is Christ; and sleeping he sees a ladder reaching to heaven, on which the Lord was set, and angels were ascending and descending; this stone he consecrated and anointed with the sacrament of anointing, signifying Christ. This is the stone in Exodus on which Moses sat on the top of the hill when Joshua the son of Nun was fighting against Amalek; and by the sacrament of the stone and the steadiness of his sitting Amalek was overcome by Joshua, that is, the devil was conquered by Christ. This is the great stone in the first book of Kingdoms on which the ark of the covenant was set when the oxen brought it back on a cart, sent away and returned by the Philistines. This is the stone in the first book of Kingdoms with which David struck Goliath's forehead and killed him, signifying that the devil and his servants are laid low by it, conquered, that is, in that part of the head which they do not have sealed; by which sign we too are always safe and live. This is the stone which Samuel set up when Israel had conquered the foreigners, and called its name Ebenezer, that is, stone of help.
That afterwards the same stone would become a mountain and fill the whole earth.
1 In Daniel: “And there was an exceedingly great image, and the sight of that image was fearful, and it stood lofty before you. Its head was of good gold, its breast and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, and its feet partly of iron and partly of clay, until a stone was cut out of the mountain without the hands of cutters and struck the image upon its feet of iron and clay and broke them in pieces; and the iron and the clay and the bronze and the silver and the gold became together like chaff or dust on the threshing floor in summer, and the wind blew them away, so that nothing of them remained; and the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.”
That in the last times the same mountain would be made manifest, to which the nations would come and up which every righteous person would ascend.
1 In Isaiah: “In the last times the mountain of the Lord will be made manifest, and the house of God on the tops of the mountains, and it will be exalted above the hills; and all nations will come to it, and many will go and say: Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord and to the house of the God of Jacob, and he will declare to us his way, and we will walk in it. For from Zion will go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem; and he will judge among the nations and rebuke many people, and they will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into sickles, and they will no longer learn to fight.” 2 Likewise in Psalm 23: “Who will ascend the mountain of the Lord, or who will stand in his holy place? He who is innocent in hands and pure in heart, who has not taken his soul in vain nor sworn deceitfully to his neighbor. He will receive a blessing from the Lord and mercy from God his Savior. This is the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob.”
That he is the Bridegroom, having the church as his bride, from whom spiritual sons would be born.
1 In Joel: “Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, and proclaim a healing; gather the people, sanctify the assembly, bring in the elders, gather the little ones at the breast; let the bridegroom come out of his chamber, and the bride out of her bridal room.” 2 Likewise in Jeremiah: “And I will take away from the cities of Judah and from the crossroads of Jerusalem the voice of those who rejoice and the voice of those who are glad, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride.” 3 Likewise in Psalm 18: “And he, like a bridegroom, comes forth from his bridal chamber; he has exulted like a giant to run his course. His going forth is from the height of heaven, and his circuit to its height, and there is none who can hide himself from his heat.” 4 Likewise in the Apocalypse: “Come, I will show you the new bride, the wife of the Lamb. And he carried me in the Spirit to a great mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God.” 5 Likewise in the Gospel according to John: “You are my witnesses that I said to those who were sent to me from Jerusalem that I am not the Christ, but that I have been sent before him. For he who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom is he who stands and hears him and rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice.” 6 The mystery of this was shown in Joshua the son of Nun, when he was commanded to take off his shoes, namely because he himself was not the bridegroom; for it was in the law that whoever refused a marriage should take off his shoe, but he who was to be the bridegroom should be shod. “And it came to pass, when Joshua was at Jericho, he looked around with his eyes and saw a man standing before his face with a sword fixed in his hand, and he said: Are you ours or our adversaries'? And he said: I am the captain of the host of the Lord; now I have come. And Joshua fell on his face to the ground and said to him: Lord, what do you command your servant? And the captain of the host of the Lord said: Loose the shoe from your feet, for the place on which you stand is holy ground.” 7 Likewise in Exodus Moses is commanded to take off his shoe, because he too was not the bridegroom: “And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the bush; and he saw that the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. And Moses said: I will go across and see this great sight, why the bush is not consumed. And when the Lord God saw that he was coming near to see, he called him from the bush, saying: Moses, Moses. And he said: What is it? And he said: Do not come near here unless you loose the shoe from your feet; for the place on which you stand is holy ground. And he said to him: I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And this is made plain in the Gospel according to John: “And John answered them: I indeed baptize in water; but in your midst stands one whom you do not know; for he is the one of whom I said, A man coming after me has been made before me, the strap of whose shoe I am not worthy to loose.” 8 Likewise according to Luke: “Keep your belts fastened and your lamps burning, and you like men waiting for their master, when he comes from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him. Blessed are the servants whom the master finds watching when he comes.” 9 Likewise in the Apocalypse: “The Lord God almighty has reigned; let us rejoice and exult and give him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his wife has prepared herself.”
That the Jews would fix him to the cross.
1 In Isaiah: “I have stretched out my hands all the day to a stubborn people who speak against me, who walk in ways that are not good but after their sins.” 2 Likewise in Jeremiah: “Come, let us put wood into his bread and root out his life from the earth.” 3 Likewise in Deuteronomy: “And your life will hang before your eyes, and you will fear day and night and will not believe in your life.” 4 Likewise in Psalm 21: “They have dug my hands and feet; they have numbered all my bones. And they considered and looked upon me; they divided my garments among them, and upon my clothing they cast lots. But you, Lord, do not remove your help far from me; look to my defense. Rescue my soul from the sword, and my only one from the hand of the dog. Deliver me from the mouth of the lion, and my lowliness from the horns of the unicorns. I will declare your name to my brothers; in the midst of the church I will praise you.” 5 Likewise in Psalm 118: “Pierce my flesh with nails from fear of you.” 6 Likewise in Psalm 140: “The lifting up of my hands is an evening sacrifice.” Of this sacrifice Zephaniah said: “Fear before the face of the Lord God, for his day is near; for the Lord has prepared his sacrifice, he has sanctified his called ones.” 7 Likewise in Zechariah: “And they will look on me, whom they pierced.” 8 Likewise in Psalm 87: “And I have cried to you, Lord my God, all the day; I have stretched out my hands to you.” 9 Likewise in Numbers: “God is not hung up like a man, nor does he suffer threats like a son of man.” Hence in the Gospel the Lord says: “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”
That in the passion and sign of the cross is all strength and power.
1 In Habakkuk: “His power has covered the heavens, and the earth is full of his praise; and his brightness will be like the light; horns will be in his hands. And there the power of his glory has been established, and he will establish a strong love. Before his face the Word will go and will go forth into the plain according to his steps.” 2 Likewise in Isaiah: “Look, to you a child is born, to us a son is given, whose government is upon his shoulders; and his name has been called Messenger of great counsel.” By this sign of the cross Amalek too was conquered by Joshua through Moses. Likewise in Exodus Moses said to Joshua: “Choose for yourself men and go out and join battle with Amalek tomorrow. And look, I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand. And when Moses raised his hands, Israel prevailed; but when he had let his hands down, Amalek grew strong. But the hands of Moses were heavy; and they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it; and Aaron and Hur held up his hands on this side and that; and the hands of Moses became steady until the setting of the sun. And Joshua put Amalek and all his people to flight. And the Lord said to Moses: Write this, that it may be a memorial in a book, and speak it into the ears of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.”
That in this sign of the cross is salvation for all who are marked on their foreheads.
1 In Ezekiel God says: “Go through the midst of Jerusalem, and you shall mark a sign on the foreheads of the men who groan and grieve over the iniquities that are done in their midst.” 2 Likewise there: “Go and strike, and let your eyes not spare. Have no pity on old men or young; kill virgins and little ones and women, that they may be utterly destroyed. But do not touch anyone on whom the sign is written; and begin with my own holy ones.” 3 Likewise in Exodus God says to Moses: “And the blood shall be for a sign to you upon the houses in which you are; and I will see the blood and protect you, and the plague of destruction will not be upon you when I strike the land of Egypt.” 4 Likewise in the Apocalypse: “And I looked, and there was the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with him a hundred and forty-four thousand having his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads.” 5 Likewise there: “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. Happy are those who do his commandments, that they may have power over the tree of life.”
That at midday in his passion there would be darkness.
1 In Amos: “And it will be on that day, says the Lord, the sun will set at noon and the day of light will be darkened; and I will turn your feasts into mourning and all your songs into lamentation.” 2 Likewise in Jeremiah: “She who bears is terrified and her soul is weary; the sun has gone down for her while it was still midday; she is confounded and cursed. The rest of them I will give to the sword in the sight of their enemies.” 3 Likewise in the Gospel: “And from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour.”
That he would not be conquered by death nor remain in the underworld.
1 In Psalm 15: “For you will not abandon my soul to the underworld, nor let your holy one see corruption.” 2 Likewise in Psalm 29: “Lord, you have brought my soul up from the underworld.” 3 Likewise in Psalm 3: “I slept and rested and rose up, for the Lord will sustain me.” 4 Likewise in the Gospel according to John: “No one takes my life from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again; for this command I received from my Father.”
That he would rise from the underworld on the third day.
1 In Hosea: “He will make us alive after two days, on the third day.” 2 Likewise in Exodus: “And the Lord said to Moses: Go down and testify to the people, and sanctify them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments and be ready for the day after tomorrow. For on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai.” 3 Likewise in the Gospel: “A wicked and adulterous generation seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. For as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man also be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”
That when he had risen he would receive all power from the Father, and that his power is eternal.
1 In Daniel: “I saw in a vision by night, and on the clouds of heaven one like a son of man came, coming up to the Ancient of Days, and he stood in his sight, and those who stood by him brought him near. And royal power was given to him, and all the kings of the earth by their kind, and all glory serving him; and his power is eternal, which will not be taken away, and his kingdom will not be destroyed.” 2 Likewise in Isaiah: “Now I will arise, says the Lord; now I will be glorified; now I will be exalted. Now you will see, now you will understand, now you will be confounded; the strength of your spirit will be vain; fire will consume you.” 3 Likewise in Psalm 109: “The Lord says to my Lord: Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies the footstool of your feet. The Lord will send forth the rod of your power from Zion, and you will rule in the midst of your enemies.” 4 Likewise in the Apocalypse: “And I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me; and I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed in a long robe and with a golden belt fastened around his chest. His head and his hair were white as wool or snow, and his eyes like a flame of fire, and his feet like brass as from a fiery furnace, and his voice like the sound of many waters. And he had in his right hand seven stars, and from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face shone like the sun in its strength. And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead; and he laid his right hand on me, saying: Do not fear; I am the first and the last and the living one; I was dead, and look, I am alive for ever and ever, and I have the keys of death and of the underworld.” 5 Likewise in the Gospel the Lord says after the resurrection: “All power has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”
That one cannot come to God the Father except through his Son Jesus Christ.
1 In the Gospel: “I am the way and the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me.” 2 Likewise there: “I am the door; if anyone enters through me, he will be saved.” 3 Likewise there: “Many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see and did not see it, and to hear what you hear and did not hear it.” 4 Likewise there: “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; he who is not obedient to the Son will not see life, but the anger of God will remain upon him.” 5 Likewise the apostle Paul to the Ephesians: “And when he came, he proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near, for through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.” 6 Likewise to the Romans: “For all have sinned and lack the glory of God, but they are justified by his gift and grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” 7 Likewise in his letter the apostle Peter: “Christ died once for our sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God.” 8 Likewise there: “For this is why the gospel was preached even to the dead, that they might be raised.” 9 Likewise in his letter the apostle John: “He who denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who confesses the Son has both the Son and the Father.”
That he himself will come as Judge.
1 In Malachi: “Look, the day of the Lord comes, burning like an oven; and all the foreigners and all the wicked will be stubble, and the coming day will set them on fire, says the Lord.” 2 Likewise in Psalm 49: “The God of gods, the Lord, has spoken and has called the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting; from Zion is the beauty of his splendor. God will come openly, our God, and will not keep silent. Fire will burn before him, and a mighty storm all around him. He called the heaven above and the earth, to judge his people. Gather to him his righteous ones, who set his covenant above sacrifices; and the heavens will declare his righteousness, for God is judge.” 3 Likewise in Isaiah: “The Lord God of hosts will go forth and will crush war; he will stir up the contest and will shout against his enemies with strength. I have kept silent; shall I always keep silent?” 4 Likewise in Psalm 67: “Let God arise, and let his enemies be scattered, and let those who hate him flee from his face. As smoke vanishes, let them vanish; as wax melts before the fire, so let sinners perish before the face of God; and let the righteous feast and exult in the sight of God and delight in gladness. Sing to the Lord, sing a psalm to his name, make a way for him who ascends toward the west; the Lord is his name. They will be troubled before the face of him who is the father of orphans and judge of widows. God is in his holy place, God who makes those of one mind live in a house, who leads out the bound in strength, likewise those who provoke him to anger, who live in tombs. God, when you went forth before your people, when you passed through the desert.” 5 Likewise in Psalm 81: “Arise, God, judge the earth, for you will destroy among all the nations.” 6 Likewise in the Gospel according to Matthew: “What have we to do with you, Son of God? Why have you come here before the time to destroy us?” 7 Likewise according to John: “The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.” 8 Likewise the apostle Paul in the second to the Corinthians: “We must all be made manifest before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what belongs to his body according to what he has done, whether good or evil.”
That he is the King who will reign for ever.
1 In Zechariah: “Say to the daughter of Zion: Look, your king comes to you, righteous and saving, gentle, sitting on an unbroken donkey.” 2 Likewise in Isaiah: “Who will announce to you that eternal place? He who walks in righteousness and keeps his hands from bribes, who stops his ears so as not to hear the judgment of blood and shuts his eyes so as not to see injustice: he will live in a high cave of strong rock; bread will be given him, and his water will be sure. You will see the king with glory.” 3 Likewise in Malachi: “I am a great king, says the Lord, and my name is illustrious among the nations.” 4 Likewise in the second Psalm: “But I have been set as king by him upon Zion, his holy mountain, proclaiming the decree of the Lord.” 5 Likewise in Psalm 21: “All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will worship before him; for the kingdom is the Lord's, and he will rule over the nations.” 6 Likewise in Psalm 23: “Lift up your gates, you princes, and be lifted up, you everlasting doors, and the King of glory will come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your gates, you princes, and be lifted up, you everlasting doors, and the King of glory will come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory.” 7 Likewise in Psalm 44: “My heart has poured forth a good word; I speak my works to the king. My tongue is the pen of a swift scribe. You are fairer in form than the sons of men; grace is poured on your lips; therefore God has blessed you for ever. Gird your sword upon your thigh, you mighty one, in your splendor and beauty; and set forth and proceed prosperously and reign, for the sake of truth and gentleness and righteousness.” 8 Likewise in Psalm 5: “My King and my God, for to you I will pray, Lord; in the morning you will hear my voice; in the morning I will stand before you and will see.” 9 Likewise in Psalm 96: “The Lord has reigned; let the earth exult; let the many islands be glad.” 10 Likewise in Psalm 44: “The queen stood at your right hand in gilded clothing, arrayed in many colors. Hear, daughter, and see, and incline your ear, and forget your people and your father's house; for the king has desired your beauty, for he is the Lord your God.” 11 Likewise in Psalm 73: “But God is our King before the ages; he has worked salvation in the midst of the earth.” 12 Likewise in the Gospel according to Matthew: “And when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi came from the east to Jerusalem, saying: Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east and have come to worship him.” 13 Likewise according to John Jesus said: “My kingdom is not of this world; if my kingdom were of this world, my servants would be fighting, that I might not be handed over to the Jews; but now my kingdom is not from here. Pilate said: So you are a king? Jesus answered: You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice.”
That he is both Judge and King.
1 Likewise in Psalm 71: “God, give your judgment to the king and your righteousness to the king's son, to judge your people in your righteousness.” 2 Likewise in the Apocalypse: “And I saw heaven opened, and there was a white horse, and he who sat on it was called Faithful and True; he judges fairly and justly and makes war. And his eyes were like a flame of fire, and on his head were many diadems, and he bore a name written that no one knew but himself; and he was clothed with a garment sprinkled with blood, and his name is called the Word of God. And the armies that are in heaven followed him on white horses, clothed in pure white linen; and from his mouth came a sharp sword, that with it he might strike the nations, whom he will shepherd with a rod of iron; and he will tread the winepress of the wine of the anger of God almighty. He has also on his garment and on his thigh a name written: King of kings and Lord of lords.” 3 Likewise in the Gospel: “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory, and all nations will be gathered before him; and he will separate them from one another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will set the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left. Then the King will say to those at his right hand: Come, you blessed of my Father, receive the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you took me in; naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you visited me; I was in prison and you came to me. Then the righteous will answer him, saying: Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and take you in, naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and come to you? And the King will answer and say to them: Truly I say to you, as long as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me. Then he will say to those at his left: Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire which my Father has prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you did not give me to eat; I was thirsty and you did not give me drink; I was a stranger and you did not take me in; naked and you did not clothe me; sick and in prison and you did not come to me. Then they too will answer, saying: Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and did not serve you? And he will answer them: Truly I say to you, as long as you did not do it to one of these least, neither did you do it to me. And these will go into eternal fire, but the righteous into eternal life.”
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Testimonies Against the Jews, Book 2
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