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(44) That their Prophets gave their Best Predictions for Us of the Foreign Nations.
(b) IN the first place, as it is their constant habit to pick out the prophecies which are more favourable to themselves, and to have them ever on their lips, I must array against them my proofs from the prophecies about the Gentiles, making it clear how full they are of predictions of good and salvation for all nations, and how strongly they asserted that their promises to the Gentile world could only be fulfilled by the coming of the Christ. When we shall have reached that point of the argument, I think I shall have proved that it is untrue to say that the hope of the Messiah was more proper for them than for us. (c) Then having demonstrated that for Jews and Greeks the hope of the promise was on an equality, so that those of the Gentiles would be saved through Christ would be in exactly the same position as the Jews, I shall proceed to show with superabundance of evidence,2 that the divine oracles foretold that the Advent of Christ and the call of the Gentiles would be accompanied by the total collapse and ruin of the whole Jewish race, and prophesied good fortune only for a scanty few easy to number, while their city (d) with its temple would be captured, and all its holy things taken away—prophecies which have all been exactly fulfilled. How under one head and at the same time holy Scripture can foretell for Israel at Christ's coming both a ransom from evil and the enjoyment of prosperity, and also adversity and the overturning of the worship of God, I will make clear when the proper time comes. For the present let us go on with our first task ; viz., to select a few statements to prove my contentions from a great number of prophecies.
Inasmuch, then, as they always use in argument with us the prophecies about themselves, which are most favourable, as if the privileges of the old dispensation were limited to them, it is time for us to array against them the - 65 - promises about the Gentiles, as contained in their own prophets.
How the Nations of the World will be blessed in the same Way as those named after Abraham.
[Passage quoted, Gen. xviii. 27.]
The oracle says that God will not hide from the man dear to Him a mystery that is hidden and secret to many, but will reveal it to him. And this was the promise that (b) all the nations should be blessed, which had of old been hidden through all the nations in Abraham's day being given over to unspeakably false superstition, but is now unveiled in our time, through the Gospel teaching of our Saviour that he who worships God in the manner of Abraham will share His blessing. We must not suppose (c) that this oracle referred to Jewish proselytes, since we have very fully shown in the preceding book the impossibility of all nations following the law of Moses. And as I have proved in the same book that the blessing on all nations given to Abraham could only apply to the Christians of all nations, I will refer those interested to the former passage.
2. From the same.
That all the Nations of the Earth will be blessed in the Seed that is to come from the Line of Isaac.
The Lord conferring with Isaac, after saying other things, (d) proceeds —
[Passage quoted, Gen. xxvi. 3.]
Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ was born of the seed of Isaac, according to the flesh, in Whom all the nations of the earth are blessed, in learning through Him of Almighty God, and in being taught through Him to bless men dear to God. So there is reciprocal blessing, they enjoying the same blessing as the men they bless, according to God's saying to Abraham : " Blessed be they [[Num. xxiv. 9]] that bless thee."3 - 66 -
Of many Nations, and Multitudes of Nations, arising out of Jacob, although only the Nation of the Jews has come forth from him.
[Passage quoted, Gen. xxxv. 11.]
As it is quite certain that only one nation, that of the Jews, arose from Jacob, how can this oracle speak truly of a multitude of nations? Since the Christ of God being born of the seed of Jacob brought together many multitudes of nations by His Gospel teaching, in Him and (b) through Him the prophecy has attained its natural fulfilment already, and will attain it still more.
4. From Deuteronomy.
The Joy in God of the Nations.
[Passage quoted, Deut. xxxii. 43.]
(c) Instead of "Rejoice ye Gentiles with his people," Aquila 4 reads, "Cry out, nations of his people." And Theodotion,5 "Exult, ye nations of his people."
How from the ends of the Earth, and from all Nations there shall be a Turning to God, and how the Generation to come and the People that shall be begotten shall learn Righteousness.
[ Passage quoted, Ps. xxi. 28. 32.]
This is clear enough to need no interpretation. - 67 -
An Announcement of Holiness and Purity to the Nations, and the Kingdom of God over the Nations.
[Passages quoted, Ps. xlvi. i, 2 and 8 ]
This is clear, and needs no interpretation.
[Passage quoted, Ps. lxxxv. 8-10.]
Of the Holiness of all the Heathen, and of the new Song, and of the Kingdom of God, and of the Happiness of the World.
[Passages quoted, Ps. xcv. 1-4, 7, and 10.]
This is clear.
Of all the Nations, and of the Egyptians the most superstitious of them all, of the Knowledge of the only true God, and of the spiritual Worship and Festival according to the divine Law.
[Passage quoted, Zech. xiv. 16-19.]
(48) This passage clearly implies the calling of all the Gentiles, if we only regard the sense of what is said about Jerusalem and the tabernacle, to which I will give the proper interpretation in its right place.
Of the Choice of the Apostles, and the Calling of the Gentiles.
[Passage quoted, Isa. ix. 1-2.]
11. From the same.
Of the Calling of the Gentiles.
[ Passage quoted, Isa. xlix. 1.]
In which he adds more about the Gentiles and about (c) Christ. - 68 -
[Passage quoted, Isa. xlix. 6.]
And you could yourself find many such passages, dispersed through the prophets in the promises to the nations, which there is no time now to select or interpret. Those that I have chosen are sufficient to prove my point. And this was simply to demonstrate to the Circumcision, who proudly and boastfully claim, that God has preferred them (d) before all other nations, and given them a peculiar privilege in His divine promises, that nothing of the kind is to be found in the divine promises themselves.
And now that I have proved the inclusion of the Gentiles in the divine promises, I would ask you to consider the reason of their being called and admitted to the promises. For it will be good for us to realize the reason why they can be said to be associated in their benefits. This can only be the coming of Christ, through Whom those of the Circumcision also agree that they look for their own redemption. I have then only to prove that the hope (49) of the call of the Gentiles was nothing else but the Christ of God, looked for as the Saviour, not only of the Jews, but of the whole Gentile world. And for the present I will give the mere texts of the prophets without interpretation, as I shall be able to interpret them individually at leisure more broadly 6 altogether, when with God's help I have collected the predictions about the nations.