Chapter XVII.—The Jews sent persons through the whole earth to spread
calumnies on Christians.
“For other nations have not inflicted on us and on Christ this wrong to such an extent
as you have, who in very deed are the authors of the wicked prejudice against the Just One,
and us who hold by Him. For after that you had crucified Him, the only blameless and
righteous Man,— through whose stripes those who approach the Father by Him are healed,
—when you knew that He had risen from the dead and ascended to heaven, as the prophets
foretold He would, you not only did not repent of the wickedness which you had committed,
but at that time you selected and sent out from Jerusalem chosen men through all the land
to tell that the godless heresy of the Christians had sprung up, and to publish those things
which all they who knew us not speak against us. So that you are the cause not only of your
own unrighteousness, but in fact of that of all other men. And Isaiah cries justly: ‘By reason
of you, My name is blasphemed among the Gentiles.’222 And: ‘Woe unto their soul! because
they have devised an evil device against themselves, saying, Let us bind the righteous, for
he is distasteful to us. Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their doings. Woe unto the wicked!
evil shall be rendered to him according to the works of his hands.’ And again, in other
words:223 ‘Woe unto them that draw their iniquity as with a long cord, and their transgres-
sions as with the harness of a heifer’s yoke: who say, Let his speed come near; and let the
counsel of the Holy One of Israel come, that we may know it. Woe unto them that call evil
good, and good evil; that put light for darkness, and darkness for light; that put bitter for
sweet, and sweet for bitter!’224 Accordingly, you displayed great zeal in publishing
throughout all the land bitter and dark and unjust things against the only blameless and
righteous Light sent by God.
For He appeared distasteful to you when He cried among you, ‘It is written, My house
is the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves!’225 He overthrew also the tables
of the money-changers in the temple, and exclaimed, ‘Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees,
hypocrites! because ye pay tithe of mint and rue, but do not observe the love of God and
justice. Ye whited sepulchres! appearing beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s
bones.’226 And to the Scribes, ‘Woe unto you, Scribes! for ye have the keys, and ye do not
enter in yourselves, and them that are entering in ye hinder; ye blind guides!’
222 Isa. lii. 5.
223 Isa. iii. 9 ff.
224 Isa. v. 18, 20.
225 Matt. xxi. 13.
226 This and following quotation taken promiscuously from Matt. xxiii. and Luke xi.
Chapter XVII.—The Jews sent persons through the whole earth to spread calumnies on Christians.
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Chapter XVII.—The Jews sent persons through the whole earth to spread calumnies…