Chapter XXX.—Of the Fact That, as the Prophecies Have Been Fulfilled, the God of Israel
Has Now Been Made Known Everywhere.
46. Thus it was with a certain person named Lucan, one of their great declaimers in
verse. For a long time, as I believe, he endeavored to find out, by his own cogitations, or by
the perusal of the books of his own fellow-countrymen,629 who the God of the Jews was;
and failing to prosecute his inquiry in the way of piety, he did not succeed. Yet he chose
rather to speak of Him as the uncertain God whom he did not find out, than absolutely to
deny the title of God to that Deity of whose existence he perceived proofs so great. For he
says:
“And Judæa, devoted to the worship
Of an uncertain God.”630
—Lucan, Book ii. towards the end.
And as yet this God, the holy and true God of Israel, had not done by the name of Christ
among all nations works so great as those which have been wrought after Lucan’s times up
to our own day. But now who is so obdurate as not to be moved, who so dull631 as not to
be inflamed, seeing that the saying of Scripture is fulfilled, “For there is not one that is hid
from the heat thereof;”632 and seeing also that those other things which were predicted so
long time ago in this same Psalm from which I have cited one little verse, are now set forth
in their accomplishment in the clearest light? For under this term of the “heavens” the
apostles of Jesus Christ were denoted, because God was to preside in them with a view to
the publishing of the gospel. Now, therefore, the heavens have declared the glory of God,
and the firmament has proclaimed the works of His hands. Day unto day has given forth
speech, and night unto night has shown knowledge. Now there is no speech or language
where their voices are not heard. Their sound has gone out into all the earth, and their words
to the end of the world. Now hath He set His tabernacle in the sun, that is, in manifestation;
which tabernacle is His Church. For in order to do so (as the words proceed in the passage)
He came forth from His chamber like a bridegroom; that is to say, the Word, wedded with
the flesh of man, came forth from the Virgin’s womb. Now has He rejoiced as a strong man,
and has run His race. Now has His going forth been made from the height of heaven, and
His return even to the height of heaven.633 And accordingly, with the completest propriety,
there follows upon this the verse which I have already mentioned: “And there is not one
that is hid from the heat thereof [or, His heat].” And still these men make choice of their
629 Per suorum libros.
630 […Et dedita sacris Incerti Judæa Dei.—R.]
631 Reading torpidus; for which others give tepidus, cool.
632 Ps. xix. 6.
633 [Ps. xix. 1–6, partly in citation, partly in allegorizing paraphrase.—R.]
Of the Fact That, as the Prophecies Have Been Fulfilled, the God of Israel Has Now Been Made Known Everywhere.
210
Of the Fact That, as the Prophecies Have Been Fulfilled, the God of Israel…