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Cyprian of Carthage, Three Books of Testimonies Against the Jews
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Three Books of Testimonies Against the Jews.
2. Also because they did not believe the prophets, and put them to death.
5. That the Jews could understand nothing of the Scriptures unless they first believed in Christ.
6. That the Jews should lose Jerusalem, and should leave the land which they had received.
7. Also that they should lose the Light of the Lord.
9. That the former law which was given by Moses was to cease.
10. That a new law was to be given.
11. That another dispensation and a new covenant was to be given.
12. That the old baptism should cease, and a new one should begin.
13. That the old yoke should be made void, and a new yoke should be given.
14. That the old pastors should cease and new ones begin.
16. That the ancient sacrifice should be made void, and a new one should be celebrated.
17. That the old priesthood should cease, and a new priest should come, who should be for ever.
21. That the Gentiles should rather believe in Christ.
23. That the Gentiles rather than the Jews attain to the kingdom of heaven.
3. That the same Christ is the Word of God.
4. That Christ is the Hand and Arm of God.
5. That Christ is at once Angel and God.
7. That Christ our God should come, the Enlightener and Saviour of the human race.
11. That Christ was to be born of the seed of David, according to the flesh.
12. That Christ should be born in Bethlehem.
13. That Christ was to come in low estate in His first advent.
14. That He is the righteous One whom the Jews should put to death.
16. That Christ also is called a Stone.
17. That afterwards this Stone should become a mountain, and should fill the whole earth.
20. That the Jews would fasten Christ to the cross.
21. That in the passion and the sign of the cross is all virtue and power.
22. That in this sign of the Cross is salvation for all people who are marked on their foreheads.
23. That at mid-day in His passion there should be darkness.
24. That He was not to be overcome of death, nor should remain in Hades.
25. That He should rise again from the dead on the third day.
27. That it is impossible to attain to God the Father, except by His Son Jesus Christ.
28. That Jesus Christ shall come as a Judge.
29. That He will reign as a King for ever.
30. That He Himself is both Judge and King.
1. On the benefit of good works and mercy.
3. That charity and brotherly affection are to be religiously and stedfastly practised.
4. That we must boast in nothing, since nothing is our own.
5. That humility and quietness are to be maintained in all things.
6. That all good and righteous men suffer more, but ought to endure because they are proved.
7. That we must not grieve the Holy Spirit, whom we have received.
8. That anger must be overcome, lest it constrain us to sin.
9. That brethren ought to support one another.
10. That we must trust in God only, and in Him we must glory.
14. That we must never murmur, but bless God concerning all things that happen.
15. That men are tried by God for this purpose, that they may be proved.
16. Of the benefits of martyrdom.
17. That what we suffer in this world is of less account than is the reward which is promised.
18. That nothing is to be preferred to the love of God and Christ.
19. That we are not to obey our own will, but the will of God.
20. That the foundation and strength of hope and faith is fear.
21. That we must not rashly judge of another.
22. That when we have received a wrong, we must remit and forgive it.
23. That evil is not to be returned for evil.
24. That it is impossible to attain to the Father but by His Son Jesus Christ.
25. That unless a man have been baptized and born again, he cannot attain unto the kingdom of God.
27. That even a baptized person loses the grace that he has attained, unless he keep innocency.
29. That it was before predicted, concerning the hatred of the Name,
30. That what any one has vowed to God, he must quickly repay.
31. That he who does not believe is judged already.
32. Of the benefit of virginity and of continency.
34. That the believer ought not to live like the Gentile.
35. That God is patient for this end, that we may repent of our sin, and be reformed.
36. That a woman ought not to be adorned in a worldly fashion.
37. That the believer ought not to be punished for other offences, except for the name he bears.
38. That the servant of God ought to be innocent, lest he fall into secular punishment.
39. That there is given to us an example of living in Christ.
40. That we must not labour noisily nor boastfully.
41. That we must not speak foolishly and offensively.
42. That faith is of advantage altogether, and that we can do as much as we believe.
43. That he who believes can immediately obtain (i.e., pardon and peace).
44. That believers who differ among themselves ought not to refer to a Gentile judge.
46. That a woman ought to be silent in the church.
48. That we must not take usury.
49. That even our enemies must be loved.
50. That the sacrament of faith must not be profaned.
51. That no one should be uplifted in his labour.
52. That the liberty of believing or of not believing is placed in free choice.
53. That the secrets of God cannot be seen through, and therefore that our faith ought to be simple.
54. That no one is without filth and without sin.
55. That we must not please men, but God.
56. That nothing that is done is hidden from God.
57. That the believer is amended and reserved.
59. Of the idols which the Gentiles think to be gods.
60. That too great lust of food is not to be desired.
61. That the lust of possessing, and money, are not to be sought for.
62. That marriage is not to be contracted with Gentiles.
63. That the sin of fornication is grievous.
65. That all sins are put away in baptism.
66. That the discipline of God is to be observed in Church precepts.
67. That it was foretold that men should despise sound discipline.
68. That we must depart from him who lives irregularly and contrary to discipline.
70. That we must obey parents.
71. And that fathers also should not be harsh in respect of their children.
72. That servants, when they have believed, ought to serve their carnal masters the better.
73. Moreover, that masters should be the more gentle.
74. That all widows that are approved are to be held in honour.
75. That every person ought to have care rather of his own people, and especially of believers.
76. That an elder must not be rashly accused.
77. That the sinner must be publicly reproved.
78. That we must not speak with heretics.
79. That innocency asks with confidence, and obtains.
80. That the devil has no power against man unless God have allowed it.
81. That wages be quickly paid to the hireling.
82. That divination must not be used.
83. That a tuft of hair is not to be worn on the head.
84. That the beard must not be plucked.
85. That we must rise when a bishop or a presbyter comes.
87. That believers ought to be simple, with prudence.
88. That a brother must not be deceived.
89. That the end of the world comes suddenly.
90. That a wife must not depart from her husband or if she should depart, she must remain unmarried.
91. That every one is tempted so much as he is able to bear.
92. That not everything is to be done which is lawful.
93. That it was foretold that heresies would arise.
94. That the Eucharist is to be received with fear and honour.
95. That we are to live with the good, but to avoid the evil.
96. That we must labour not with words, but with deeds.
97. That we must hasten to faith and to attainment.
98. That the catechumen ought now no longer to sin.
100. That the grace of God ought to be without price.
101. That the Holy Spirit has frequently appeared in fire.
102. That all good men ought willingly to hear rebuke.
103. That we must abstain from much speaking.
105. That they are frequently to be corrected who do wrong in domestic duty.
106. That when a wrong is received, patience is to be maintained, and vengeance to be left to God.
107. That we must not use detraction.
108. That we must not lay snares against our neighbour.
109. That the sick are to be visited.
110. That tale-bearers are accursed.
111. That the sacrifices of the wicked are not acceptable.
112. That those are more severely judged, who in this world have had more power.
113. That the widow and orphans ought to be protected.
114. That one ought to make confession while he is in the flesh.
115. That flattery is pernicious.
116. That God is more loved by him who has had many sins forgiven in baptism.
21. That the Gentiles should rather believe in Christ.
In Genesis: “And the Lord God said unto Abraham, Go out from thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, and go into that land which I shall show thee: and I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and I will magnify thy name; and thou shalt be blessed: and I will bless him that blesseth thee, and I will curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed.”82 Gen. xi. 1–3. On this same point in Genesis: “And Isaac blessed Jacob.83 The quotation in the Oxford edition begins from this point. Behold, the smell of my son is as the smell of a plentiful field which the Lord hath blessed: and God give thee of the dew of heaven, and of the fertility of the earth, abundance of corn, and wine, and oil: and peoples shall obey thee, and princes shall worship thee: and thou shalt be lord over thy brother, and the sons of thy father shall worship thee; and he that curseth thee shall be cursed, and he that blesseth thee shall be blessed.”84 Gen. xxvii. 27–29. On this matter too in Genesis: “But when Joseph saw that his father placed his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it seemed displeasing to him: and Joseph laid hold of his father’s hand, to lift it from the head of Ephraim on to the head of Manasseh. Moreover, Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: this is my first-born; place thy right hand upon his head. But he would not, and said, I know it, my son, I know it: and he also shall be a people, and he shall be exalted; but his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations.”85 Gen. xlviii. 17–19. The whole of this quotation is wanting in more than one codex. Moreover in Genesis: “Judah, thy brethren shall praise thee: thine hand shall be upon the back of thine enemies; the sons of thy father shall worship thee. Judah is a lion’s whelp: from the slender twig,86 “Frutice.” The Oxford translator has here, without any authority as it appears, from the text, adopted the reading of the Vulgate, “ad prædam.” Cyprian has used the LXX., reading apparently, ἐκ βλαστοῦ. The Hebrew מִטֶּרֶף gives a colour to either reading. See Gesenius, Lex. in voce מֶרֶף. [Elucidation X.] my son, thou hast ascended: thou layedst down and sleepedst as a lion, and as a lion’s whelp. Who shall stir him up? There shalt not fail a prince from Judah, and a leader from his loins, until those things entrusted to him shall come; and he is the hope of the nations: binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass’s colt unto the branch of the vine;87 Original, “ad cilicium;” LXX. τῆ ἕλικι, “the tendril of the vine;” Oxford trans. “the choice vine.” he shall wash his garments in wine, and his clothing in the blood of the grape: terrible are his eyes with wine, and his teeth are whiter than milk.”88 Gen. xlix. 8–12. Hence in Numbers it is written concerning our people: “Behold, the people shall rise up as a lion-like people.”89 Num. xxiii. 14. In Deuteronomy: “Ye Gentiles shall be for the head; but this unbelieving people shall be for the tail.”90 Deut. xxviii. 44. Also in Jeremiah: “Hear the sound of the trumpet. And they said, We will not hear: for this cause the nations shall hear, and they who shall feed their cattle among them.”91 Jer. vi. 18. In the seventeenth Psalm: “Thou shalt establish me the head of the nations: a people whom I have not known have served me: at the hearing of the ear they have obeyed me.”92 Ps. xviii. 43, 44. Concerning this very thing the Lord says in Jeremiah: “Before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee; and before thou wentest forth from the womb, I sanctified thee, and established thee as a prophet among the nations.”93 Jer. i. 5. Also in Isaiah: “Behold, I have manifested him for a witness to the nations, a prince and a commander to the peoples.”94 Isa. lv. 4. Also in the same: “Nations which have not known Thee shall call upon Thee; and peoples which were ignorant of Thee shall flee to Thee.”95 Isa. lv. 5. In the same, moreover: “And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall rise to rule in all the nations; in Him shall the Gentiles hope: and His rest shall be honour.”96 Isa. xi. 10. In the same again: “The land of Zebulon, and the land of Nephtalim, by the way of the sea, and ye others who inhabit the maritime places, and beyond Jordan97 Oxford edition adds “Galilee.” of the nations. People that walk in darkness, behold ye a great light; ye who dwell in the region of the shadow of death, the light shall shine upon you.”98 Isa. ix. 1, 2. Also in the same: “Thus saith the Lord God to Christ my Lord, whose right hand I hold, that the nations may hear Him; and I will break asunder the strength of kings, I will open before Him gates; and cities shall not be shut.”99 Isa. xlv. 1. Also in the same: “I come to gather together all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and see my glory. And I will send out over them a standard, and I will send those that are preserved among them to the nations which are afar off, which have not heard my name nor seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory to the nations.”100 Isa. lxvi. 18, 19. Also in the same: “And in all these things they are not converted; therefore He shall lift up a standard to the nations which are afar, and He will draw them from the end of the earth.”101 Isa. v. 25, 26. Also in the same: “Those who had not been told of Him shall see, and they who have not heard shall understand.”102 Isa. lii. 15. Also in the same: “I have been made manifest to those who seek me not: I have been formal of those who asked not after me. I said, Lo, here am I, to a nation that has not called upon my name.”103 Isa. lxv. 1. Of this same thing, in the Acts of the Apostles, Paul says: “It was necessary that the word of God should first be shown to you; but since ye put it from you, and judged yourselves unworthy of eternal life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles: for thus said the Lord by the Scriptures, Behold, I have set Thee a light among the nations, that Thou shouldest be for salvation even to the ends of the earth.”104 Acts xiii. 46, 47.
In Genesi: Et dixit Dominus Deus ad Abraham: Exi de terra tua et de cognatione tua et de domo patris 0689Ctui, et vade in illam terram quam tibi ostendero; et faciam 0690Ate in gentem magnam, et benedicam te, et magnificabo nomen tuum, et eris benedictus; et benedicam qui te benedixerit, et maledicam qui te maledixerit , et benedicentur in te omnes tribusterrae (Gen. XII, 1-3). De hoc ipso in Genesi: Et benedixit Isaac Jacob : Ecce odor filii mei sicut odor agri pleni quem benedixit Dominus. Et det tibi Deus de rore caeliet a fertilitate terrae multitudinem frumenti et vini et olei; et servient tibi gentes, et adorabunt te principes, et eris dominus fratris tuiet adorabunt te filii patris tui; et qui te maledixerit erit maledictus, et qui te benedixeritbenedictus (Gen. XXVII, 27-29). De hoc ipso in Genesi: Ubi autem viditJoseph quoniam superposuitpater suus manum dextram super caput Effraim, grave illi visum est; et apprehendit Joseph manum patris sui , 0690Bauferre eam a capite Effraim ad caput Manasse. Dixit autem Joseph ad patrem suum: Non sic, pater, hic est primitivus meus ; superpone dexteram tuam super caput ejus. Ille autem noluit, et dixit: Scio, fili, scio: et hic erit in populum, et hic exaltabitur; sed frater ejus junior major illo erit , et semen ejus erit in multitudinem gentium (Gen. XLVIII, 17-19). Item in Genesi: Juda, te laudabuntfratres tui, manussuper dorsum inimicorum tuorum. Adorabunt te filii patris tui: catulus leonis Juda. De frutice, fili mi, ascendisti, recubans obdormisti velut leo et velut catulus leonis. Quis excitabit illum? Non deficiet princeps de Juda et dux de femoribus ejus quoadusque veniant depositailli, et ipse estspes gentium. Deligans ad vitempullum suum, et ad ciliciumpullum asinae suae. Lavabit 0690Cin vino stolam suamet in sanguine uvae amictum 0691Asuum. Formidolosioculi ejus a vino, et candidi dentes ejus magis quam lac (Gen. XLIX, 8, 12). Inde in Numeris de populo nostro scriptum est: Ecce populus quasi populus leoninus exsurget (Num. XXIII, 24). In Deuteronomio: Eritis, gentes, in caput, incredulus autem populus in caudam (Deut. XXVIII, 44). Item apud Hieremiam: Audite vocem tubae: et dixerunt: Non audiemus. Propter hoc audient gentes et qui pascent pecorain eis (Hier. VI, 17, 18). In Psalmo XVII: Constitues me in caput gentium; populus quem non cognovi servivit mihi , in auditu auris obedivit mihi (Ps. XVII, 44, 45). De hoc ipso apud Hieremiam Dominus dicit: Priusquam te formarem in utero novi te, et prius quam exires de vulva sanctificavi te, et prophetam in gentibusposui te (Hier. I, 5). Item apud Esaiam: Ecce testem 0691Billum nationibus manifestavi, principem et imperantem gentibus . Item apud eumdem: Gentes quae non noverunt te invocabunt te, et populi qui ignorabant te ad te confugient (Isa. LV, 4, 5). Item apud eumdem: 0692AEt erit in illa die radix Jesse qui surget imperareomnibus gentibus; in illum gentes sperabunt, et erit requies ejus honor (Ibid. XI, 10). Item apud eumdem : Terra Zabulon et terra Neptalim, via maris, et caeteri qui maritimainhabitatis, et trans Jordanem gentium ; populus ambulans in tenebris, videte lumen magnumqui habitatis in regione umbrae mortis, lumen lucebit super vos (Isa. VIII, 23; IX, 1). Item apud eumdem : Sic dicit Dominus Deus Christo meo Domino, cujus teneo dexteram, ut exaudiant eum Gentes. Et fortitudinem regum disrumpam . Aperiam ante ipsum portas, et civitates non claudentur (Isa. XLV, 1). Item apud eumdem: Venio colligere omnes gentes et linguas, et venient et videbunt claritatem meam, et dimitiam super eos signum, et mittam ex eis 0692Bconservatos in gentes quae longe sunt, quae non audierunt nomen meum, neque viderunt gloriam meam, et nuntiabunt claritatem meam in gentes (Isa. LXVI, 18, 19). Item apud eumdem: Et in omnibus his non sunt 0693Aconversi. Igitur extollet signum in gentes quae sunt longe, et attrahet illosa summo terrae (Isa. V, 25, 26). Item apud eumdem: Quibus non est nuntiatum de eo videbunt, et qui non audierunt intelligent (Isa. LII, 15). Item apud eumdem: Manifestus factus sumeis qui me non quaerunt , inventus sum ab eis qui me non interrogabant. Dixi: Ecce sum, genti quae noninvocavit nomen meum (Isa. LXIII, 1.) De hoc ipso in Actibus Apostolorum Paulus: Vobis primum opportuerat indicari verbum Dei. Sed, quia expulistis illud, nec vos dignos vitae aeternae judicastis, ecce convertimus nos ad Gentes. Sic enim dixit per Scripturas Dominus: Ecce lucem posui te inter Gentes, ita ut sis in salvationemusque ad fines terrae (Act. XIII, 46, 47).