Theophany 4.36–5.18

English translation by Samuel Lee (1843); the original is not shown

‘Ye shall hear indeed of wars, and rumours of wars: see that ye be not moved, for it is necessary they should be; but the End is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there shall be famines and pestilences, and commotions in divers places. And all these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they give you up to affliction, and shall kill you; and ye shall be hated by all nations for my names sake.” And after this He added, and said, “Then shall many stumble, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall arise, and shall deceive many. And, because of the abundance of iniquity, the love of many shall wax cold. But he, who shall bear until the End, shall live. And the Gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world, for the testimony of all nations ; and then cometh the End.” He clearly foretold also by these things, that His . Gospel should, of necessity, first be preached in the whole creation, for the testimony of all nations, ‘‘ and then should the Env come.” For the Enp of the world should not come, before (the Gospel) had been preached ; but, when His word should have so taken effect among all nations, that the people should be few, among whom His Gospel had not been preached; so also should the time of the Enp! be short (in its coming). He further teaches and says, “Ye shall hear of wars, and rumours of wars: see that ye be not moved, for it is necessary they should be - but the End is not yet.” He also shews when this shall be, for He says, “ T'he Gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole creation, for the testimony of all nations : and then cometh the end.” When also, “ famines and pestilences, and commotions (shall be) in divers places, and nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom,” and there shall be overwhelming persecutions, and great afflictions. After these things too, He says, “¢ And ye shall be hated of all nations,” not on account of any other hateful acts, but « for my name’s sake .”

English translation by Samuel Lee (1843); the original is not shown

These proofs of the Divine manifestation of our Saviour, which we have thus far seen, are at the same time demonstrative, that both the words and deeds (had in view) are Divine. For in former times, the words were simply heard ; but now, in our times, the fulfilment of these words is openly visible in deed, together with powers eclipsing those of all mortal nature. And, if men will not be persuaded by these, we ought not to wonder: because it is usual with man so to resist things the most plain, as even to dare to oppose by his words the existence of an universal Providence; and hence also, to deny God himself! And thus also, will he disingenuously contend against many other things, to which the truth bears testimony. But, as the injurious conduct of these detracts in no respect from the word, which is in its own nature true; so also will the wicked unbelief of men, in no way injure the evident excellency of the Godhead of our Saviour, But, if it is right . that we should compose, for these also, a form (of prescription) conducing to intellectual health; it is time that we should here again present, for their use, (other) proofs of the (truth of the) Gospel, and now also recite the things, which have formerly been investigated with reference to other (objectors), as to those who will not be persuaded by the things (hitherto) said.

English translation by Samuel Lee (1843); the original is not shown

Sucw as these (then), are the proofs of the Divine manifestation of the common Saviour of all, Jesus the Christ, which have been thus far visible to the eyes, shewing forth at once the Divine words and deeds. For in ancient times, the words, of which we have already spoken, as to things which should come to pass, were simply heard ; those (I say) which He prophesied to His disciples when He was near, (and) in their presence. But now, in our times, the fulfilment of these words is openly viewed in fact, with powers eclipsing that of all mortal nature. And, if men will not be persuaded of these things, we ought not to wonder: because man is accustomed so to resist the clearest things (possible,) as to dare to oppose in his assertions even the existence of an universal Providence, and thus also even to deny God Himself! And thus disingenuously, will he also contend against many other things, to which the truth (itself) bears testimony. But, as the injurious conduct of these detracts in no respect from the word, which is in (its own) nature true; so also will the wickedness of the unbelief of men, injure in no respect the evident excellency of the Godhead of our Saviour. Let us not deign therefore, even in word to attach ourselves to these. For those, whom the works of God will not persuade, the word of man will be (too) abject to move. Nevertheless, let us again take up the more vigorously, those things against such, which we formerly investigated by questions’, in proof of the Gospels. If therefore any one should, after all this, impugn the truth and dare disingenuously to affirm, that the Christ of God was not (such) as we believe He was, but was a magician, seducer, and impostor; we would present to him, as an infant in mind, those things which we also formerly investigated :— Against those who suppose that the Christ of God was a magician and deceiver.

English translation by Samuel Lee (1843); the original is not shown

‘Let us now ask then, Whether there ever was a man heard of at any period, who (as) a magician and deceiver, was (also) a teacher of humility, meekness, purity, and of every other virtue? And, Whether it is just to call by these names, Him who would not allow, that (men) should even look upon women with evil desire? And, Whether he could be a magician, who delivered the chief philosophy by teaching His disciples, that the indigent should of their wealth adhere to Him, and that compassion and liberality should abound with them? And, Whether He could be a magician, who forbade the assembling together of ferocious and tumultuous inhabitants, and taught them to love the retirement only, which devotes itself to THE Word of God ? How could He,—who deterred from every species of falsehood, and commanded that men should so honour truth above all things, that they should not stand in need of a true oath, much less of a false one,—be justly named a magician‘? But, What need can there be, that I should now say many things (on this point,) since we may readily inform ourselves from His own words,—which have, even to this day, been preached throughout the whole earth,—what the sort of conduct was, which was disseminated by Him in the world ? Every one who loves the truth will confess of Him, not only that He was neither magician nor deceiver, but was THE Word of God in truth, and the teacher of the divine philosophy and righteousness; and not of this common philosophy of the world ;—

English translation by Samuel Lee (1843); the original is not shown

But’ the things pertaining to.His form of doctrine were such as these-——Come then, let us enquire whether this His error, consisted in (any of) the many things of His teaching. Observe then, Was it not God, the King of all, Him alone, of whom it is written that He is the cause of every good thing, that He taught and presented to His disciples? And, Do not the words of His doctrine to this very time, raise the mind of every Greek and Barbarian in existence, to the God who is supreme, to Him (I say) who is the maker of the heavens and of the earth, and of the whole world; making (them) overleap all visible nature, and every thing fabricated? Was this then His error? or, Was it, that He did not allow those to worship many gods,—to whom it had been made clear, from this worship of God only, that He could not be convicted of falsehood :—-(and) who had fallen after their Head, on account of this real error? But this was not new, ner was it His word (only), but that of those Hebrews, friends of God, who arose in ancient times. And from them it was, that these recent (true) philosophers were aided in these great (performances), and gave in to their doctrines: the wise men of Greece too, glorying in the divinations of their deities, have put it thus on record of the Hebrews, that “ wisdom came to the Chaldeans alone, and the Hebrews purely worshipped the Essence of the person of God, the King of ail’.”

English translation by Samuel Lee (1843); the original is not shown

If then those ancient friends of God,—those to whom (these) divinations have more particularly borne testimony,—did raise the act of worship (directing it) to the God who is over all; How should we confess of Him, that He was a deceiver, and not a most wonderful teacher, who has extended this worship of God—as to the things which were known only in former times to these descendants of the Heads of the Hebrew fathers,—to all mankind! And this to such a degree, that no more, as in those times, a few, and those easy to be numbered, hold the orthodox’ faith respecting God; but thousands’ of congregations of barbarians at once, and of those who in ancient times were perfectly savage, also of the wise, and men of Greece,—of those (I say) who now, like the prophets and just men of old, have been taught in the worship of God, solely by means of His power, and of His instruction !

English translation by Samuel Lee (1843); the original is not shown

But, let us also investigate this third (consideration). Was it then for this, that they called Him a deceiver (viz.), because He taught, that men should no more honour God with the slaughter of bulls, or with the sacrifices of irrational animals? Neither with blood and fire, nor with or by those Greeks who made broad their foreheads’ ; those who said that the soul which was in man, was in no respect better in its essence than were gnats, fleas, worms, or reptiles; nor even, than the soul of the serpent, the viper, the bear, or the panther? and that swine, as to their soul, differed in no respect, (from men) ?—

English translation by Samuel Lee (1843); the original is not shown

And, that after these things, He perseveringly admonished (men) of the judgment of God, and of the punishments and vengeance,—things from which we cannot be exempt,—which are recorded against the wicked; also, of the promises of eternal life, of the kingdom of heaven, and of the life of happiness with God, respecting the just. Whom then did He deceive? Did He not rather stimulate (men) to hasten on to virtue, because of the victories reserved for the righteous? and, to flee from, and repel from them, every vice, because of the punishments to be inflicted on the wicked? Such then, being the instructions contained in the doctrinal ordinances of our Saviour; What room does there remain for imagining, that we should sup-. pose Him to have been a Deceiver and Magician ?—But, let us also investigate these things.—

English translation by Samuel Lee (1843); the original is not shown

When a magician associates his companions with the things of this vice, Like to what men does he make ments, or the means of written tablets, or, indeed, any other forms allied to these; the indiscriminate use of which was in repute among the many. What then can be said against the men who had been instructed in these things, so as to cast the imputation on them, of their having been the disciples of a master who was a magician? when, behold, the association of any one among the disciples, who promised any (new) doctrine, was severely reprehended ! Those men therefore both of art and science, to whom He was the cause of their (christian) instruction, fully confessed of Him, that He was much their superior (in these respects). For, even as physicians are witnesses of the goodness of the doctrine of their master; so, of geometricians, Who has assigned any other instructing heads, except geometricians ? and of arithmeticians, except arithmeticians? And in like manner, of the magician, the best witnesses as to these things have been His disciples, who have (always) fully resembled their Master, and have done (as he did). But no man has ever been found, during all these years, a magician and (at the same time a) Disciple of our Saviour; when, behold, kings and governours have, during the whole of these times, made the most careful inquiries into . things by means of the worst of torments !

English translation by Samuel Lee (1843); the original is not shown

And thus indeed, neither was there (ever) any magician His Disciple, so as to be left free and exempt from every (sort) of condemnation; being only reduced by them (the persecuting emperors) to sacrifice’.

English translation by Samuel Lee (1843); the original is not shown

But, that our discourse may not wander from Scripture, take the proof of these things even from the writings of those primitive acquaintances and Disciples of our Saviour, (as found) in the book of their own […]." They so wrought upon those of the Gentiles who received their doctrine, that many of these,—who formerly accused them of magic,—so entirely changed their conduct, that they boldly brought forward the abominable books which they had formerly kept secret, to them into the midst of the assemblies, and threw them into the fire in the presence of all Hear then the statement of these things, which runs thus: —

English translation by Samuel Lee (1843); the original is not shown

¢ The greater part then of those who practised magic brought in their books, and burnt them in the presence of all men; and they reckoned their price, and wz was found, that they were worth Sifty thousand” (pieces of silver).

English translation by Samuel Lee (1843); the original is not shown

Such therefore were the Disciples of our Saviour, and such was the entire power of the word, which they put forth in their discourses with (their) hearers, that it became fixed in the depths of their souls;—were so struck and inclined, that every one took up the resolution no more to suffer those things to remain hidden, by which the many had formerly been implicated in error, but that these secret things should be brought out into the light, and that they should become witnesses against themselves, of their own former wickedness. Such also were those who became their Disciples, so pure, noble in soul, and abundant in love, that they allowed nothing impure to remain concealed within them, but, on the contrary, they gloried and exulted in their change from vice to virtue. Since‘ therefore, the Disciples of our Saviour were seen to be such, Must not their Master have first been much more excellent? But, if you wish to know from those who are Disciples, of what sort their Master was, you have tens of thousands of the Disciples of the precepts of our Saviour even to this time; of whom there are multitudes of congregations of men, who have armed themselves against the lusts of the nature of the body, and have accustomed themselves to preserve their minds uninjured by any of the evil passions: those (I say), who have passed their whole lives, (and) grown old in purity ; and have put forth, from the provisions of His word, the most brilliant examples (to others). [14] Nor?’ was. it that men only were in this manner (attached) to Him, and became Philosophers; but also