Chapter LXXIII.

And as a sequel to his non-understanding of the statements regarding the “wrath” of God, he continues:  “Is it not ridiculous to suppose that, whereas a man, who became angry with the Jews, slew them all from the youth upwards, and burned their city (so powerless were they to resist him), the mighty God, as they say, being angry, and indignant, and uttering threats, should, (instead of punishing them) send His own Son, who endured the sufferings which He did?”  If the Jews, then, after the treatment which they dared to inflict upon Jesus, perished with all their youth, and had their city consumed by fire, they suffered this punishment in consequence of no other wrath than that which they treasured up for themselves; for the judgment of God against them, which was determined by the divine appointment, is termed “wrath” agreeably to a traditional usage of the Hebrews.  And what the Son of the mighty God suffered, He suffered voluntarily for the salvation of men, as has been stated to the best of my ability in the preceding pages.  He then continues:  “But that I may speak not of the Jews alone (for that is not my object), but of the whole of nature, as I promised, I will bring out more clearly what has been already stated.”  Now what modest man, on reading these words, and knowing the weakness of humanity, would not be indignant at the offensive nature of the promise to give an account of the “whole of nature,” and at an arrogance like that which prompted him to inscribe upon his book the title which he ventured to give it (of a True Discourse)?  But let us see what he has to say regarding the “whole of nature,” and what he is to place “in a clearer light.”

Ἀκολούθως δὲ τῷ μὴ νενοηκέναι τὰ περὶ ὀργῆς ἀναγεγραμμένα θεοῦ φησιν· Ἢ γὰρ οὐ καταγέλαστον, εἰ ἄνθρωπος μὲν ὀργισθεὶς Ἰουδαίοις πάντας αὐτοὺς ἡβηδὸν ἀπώλεσεν καὶ ἐπυρπόλησεν, οὕτως οὐδὲν ἦσαν, θεὸς δ' ὁ μέγιστος, ὥς φασιν, ὀργιζόμενος καὶ θυμούμενος καὶ ἀπειλῶν πέμπει τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ, καὶ τοιαῦτα πάσχει; Εἴπερ οὖν Ἰουδαῖοι μετὰ τὸ διαθεῖναι τὸν Ἰησοῦν ἅπερἐτόλμησαν κατ' αὐτοῦ ἡβηδὸν ἀπώλοντο καὶ ἐπυρπολήθησαν, οὐκ ἀπ' ἄλλης ὀργῆς ἢ ἧς ἑαυτοῖς ἐθησαύρισαν ταῦτα πεπόνθασι, τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ κατ' αὐτῶν κρίσεως θεοῦ καταστή ματι γεγενημένης, ὀνομαζομένης ὀργῆς πατρίῳ τινὶ Ἑβραίων ἔθει. Καὶ πάσχει γε ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ μεγίστου θεοῦ βουληθεὶς ὑπὲρ τῆς τῶν ἀνθρώπων σωτηρίας, ὡς ἐν τοῖς ἀνωτέρω κατὰ τὸ δυνατὸν ἡμῖν λέλεκται. Μετὰ ταῦτά φησιν· Ἀλλ' ὅπως μὴ περὶ μόνων Ἰουδαίων –οὐ γὰρ τοῦτο λέγω–ἀλλὰ περὶ τῆς ὅλης φύσεως, ὅπερ ἐπηγγειλάμην, ὁ λόγος ᾖ, σαφέστερον ἐμφανιῶ τὰ προειρη μένα. Τίς δ' οὐκ ἂν τούτοις ἐντυγχάνων μέτριος καὶ αἰσθα νόμενος τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης ἀσθενείας οὐκ ἂν περισταίη τὸ ἐπαχθὲς τοῦ περὶ ὅλης τῆς φύσεως ἐπαγγειλαμένου ἀποδοῦναι λόγον καὶ ἀλαζονευσαμένου ὁμοίως ᾗ ἐτόλμησεν ἐπιγράψαι ἐπιγραφῇ τοῦ βιβλίου; Ἴδωμεν δὴ τίνα ἐστὶν ἃ περὶ ὅλης τῆς φύσεως ἐπαγγέλλεται λέξειν καὶ τίνα ἐμφανίσειν.