On the Incarnation of the Word 38
38 The whole fabric of Gentilism levelled at a blow by Christ secretly addressing the conscience of Man
And to mention one proof of the divinity of the Saviour, which is indeed utterly surprising,—what mere man or magician or tyrant or king was ever able by himself to engage with so many, and to fight the battle against all idolatry and the whole demoniacal host and all magic, and all the wisdom of the Greeks, while they were so strong and still flourishing and imposing upon all, and at one onset to check them all, as was our Lord, the true Word of God, Who, invisibly exposing each man’s error, is by Himself bearing off all men from them all, so that while they who were worshipping idols now trample upon them, those in repute for magic burn their books, and the wise prefer to all studies the interpretation of the Gospels? 2. For whom they used to worship, them they are deserting, and Whom they used to mock as one crucified, Him they worship as Christ, confessing Him to be God. And they that are called gods among them are routed by the Sign of the Cross, while the Crucified Saviour is proclaimed in all the world as God and the Son of God. And the gods worshipped among the Greeks are falling into ill repute at their hands, as scandalous beings; while those who receive the teaching of Christ live a chaster life than they. 3. If, then, these and the like are human works, let him who will point out similar works on the part of men of former time, and so convince us. But if they prove to be, and are, not men’s works, but God’s, why are the unbelievers so irreligious as not to recognise the Master that wrought them? 4. For their case is as though a man, from the works of creation, failed to know God their Artificer. For if they knew His Godhead from His power over the universe, they would have known that the bodily works of Christ also are not human, but are the works of the Saviour of all, the Word of God. And did they thus know, “they would not,” as Paul said, “have crucified the Lord of glory.”
Εἰ γὰρ μὴ αὐτάρκη νομίζουσι ταῦτα, κἂν ἐξ ἑτέρων πειθέσθωσαν ἀφ’ ὧν αὐτοὶ πάλιν ἔχουσι λογίων. περὶ τίνος γὰρ λέγουσιν οἱ προφῆπροφῆται, Ἐμφανὴς ἐγενόμην τοῖς ἐμὲ μὴ ζητοῦσιν, εὑρέθην τοῖς ἐμὲ μὴ ἐπερωτῶσιν· εἶπα ἰδού εἰμι τῷ ἔθνει οἳ οὐκ ἐκάλεσάν μου τὸ ὄνομα· ἐξεπέτασα τὰς χεῖράς μου πρὸς λαὸν ἀπειθοῦντα καὶ ἀντιλέγοντα;
Τίς οὖν ἐστὶν ὁ ἐμφανὴς γενόμενος; εἴποι τις πρὸς Ἰουδαίους· εἰ μὲν γὰρ ὁ προφήτης ἐστί, λεγέτωσαν πότε ἐκρύπτετο, ἵνα καὶ ὕστερον φανῇ; ποῖος δὲ οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ προφήτης ὁ καὶ ἐμφανὴς ἐξ ἀφανῶν γενόμενος, καὶ τὰς χεῖρας ἐκπετάσας ἐπὶ σταυροῦ; τῶν μὲν οὖν δικαίων οὐδείς, μόνος δὲ ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγος, ὁ ἀσώματος ὢν τὴν φύσιν καὶ δι’ ἡμᾶς σώματι φανεὶς καὶ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν παθών.
Ἢ εἰ μηδὲ τοῦτο αὔταρκες αὐτοῖς, κἂν ἐξ ἑτέρων δυσωπείσθωσαν, οὕτως ἐναργῆ τὸν ἔλεγχον ὁρῶντες· φησὶ γὰρ ἡ γραφή· Ἰσχύσατε χεῖρες ἀνειμέναι καὶ γόνατα παραλελυμένα· παρακαλέσατε οἱ ὀλιγόπιστοι τῇ διανοίᾳ· ἰσχύσατε, μὴ φοβεῖσθε· ἰδοὺ ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν κρίσιν ἀνταποδίδωσιν, αὐτὸς ἥξει καὶ σώσει ἡμᾶς. τότε ἀνοιχθήσονται ὀφθαλμοὶ τυφλῶν, καὶ ὦτα κωφῶν ἀκούσονται· τότε ἀλεῖται ὡς ἔλαφος ὁ χωλός, καὶ τρανὴ ἔσται γλῶσσα μογγιλάλων.
Τί τοίνυν καὶ περὶ τούτου δύνανται λέγειν, ἢ πῶς ὅλως καὶ πρὸς τοῦτο τολμῶσιν ἀντιβλέπειν; ἡ μὲν γὰρ προφητεία Θεὸν ἐπιδημεῖν σημαίνει, τὰ δὲ σημεῖα καὶ τὸν χρόνον τῆς παρουσίας γνωρίζει· τό τε γὰρ τυφλοὺς ἀναβλέπειν, καὶ χωλοὺς περιπατεῖν, καὶ κωφοὺς ἀκούειν. καὶ τρανοῦσθαι μογγιλάλων τὴν γλῶσσαν, ἐπὶ τῇ γενομένη θείᾳ παρουσίᾳ λέγουσι. πότε τοίνυν γέγονε τοιαῦτα σημεῖα ἐν τῷ Ἰσραήλ; ἢ ποῦ τοιοῦτόν τι γέγονεν ἐν τῇ Ἰουδαίᾳ, λεγέτωσαν.
Λεπρὸς ἐκαθαρίσθη Ναιμάν ἀλλ’ οὐ κωφὸς ἤκουσεν, οὐδὲ χωλὸς περιεπάτησε. νεκρὸν ἤγειρεν Ἡλίας καὶ Ἐλισσαῖος· ἀλλ’ οὐκ ἐκ γενετῆς ἀνέβλεψε τυφλός. μέγα μὲν γὰρ καὶ τὸ ἐγεῖραι νεκρὸν ἀληθῶς, ἀλλ’ οὐ τοιοῦτον, ὁποῖον τὸ παρὰ τοῦ Σωτῆρος θαῦμα. πλὴν εἰ τὸ περὶ τοῦ λεπροῦ καὶ τοῦ νεκροῦ τῆς χήρας οὐ σεσιώπηκεν ἡ γραφή, πάντως εἰ ἐγεγόνει καὶ χωλὸν περιπατεῖν καὶ τυφλὸν ἀναβλέπειν, οὐκ ἂν παρῆκε τοῦ δηλῶσαι καὶ ταῦτα ὁ λόγος. ἐπειδὴ δὲ σεσιώπηται ἐν ταῖς γραφαῖς, δῆλόν ἐστι μὴ γεγενῆσθαι ταῦτα πρότερον.
Πότε οὖν γέγονε ταῦτα, εἰ μὴ ὅτε αὐτὸς ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγος ἐν σώματι παραγέγονε; πότε δὲ παραγέγονεν, εἰ μὴ ὅτε χωλοὶ περιεπάτησαν, καὶ μογγιλάλοι ἐτρανώθησαν, καὶ κωφοὶ ἤκουσαν, καὶ τυφλοὶ ἐκ γενετῆς ἀνέβλεψαν; καὶ τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ οἱ τότε θεωροῦντες Ἰουδαῖοι ἔλεγον, ὡς οὐκ ἄλλοτε ταῦτα γενόμενα ἀκούσαντες· Ἔκ τοῦ αἰῶνος οὐκ ἠκούσθη, ὅτι ἀνέωξέ τις ὀφθαλμοὺς τυφλοῦ γεγενγεγεννημένου εἰ μὴ ἦν οὗτος παρὰ Θεοῦ, οὐκ ἠδύνατο ποιεῖν οὐδέν.