1-53:53
Πολλὰς μὲν οὖν καὶ ἑτέρας προφητείας ἔχοντες εἰπεῖν ἐπαυσάμεθα, αἰ τάρκεις καὶ ταύτας εἰς πεισμονὴν τοῖς τὰ ἀκουστικὰ καὶ νοερὰ ὦτα ἔχουσιν εἶναι λογισάμενοι, καὶ νοεῖν δύνασθαι αἰ τοὺς ἡγούμενοι, ὅτι οὐχ ὁμοίως τοῖς μυθοποιηθεῖσι περὶ τῶν νομισθέντων υἱῶν τοῖ Διὸς καὶ ἡμεῖς μόνον λέγομεν, ἀλλ οὐκ ἀποδεῖξαι ἔχομεν. Τίνι γὸρ ἂν λόγῳ ἀνθρώπῳ σταυρωθέντι ἐπειθόμεθα,ἵ τι πρωτότοκος τῷ ἀγεννήτῳ θεῷ ἐστι καὶ αὐτὸς τὴν κρίσιν τοῦ παντὸς ἀνθρωπείου γένους ποιήσεται, εἰ μὴ μαρτύρια πρὶν ἢ ἐλθεῖν αὐτὸν ἄνθρωπον γενόμενον κεκηρυγμένα περὶ αὐτοῦ εὕρομεν καὶ οὕτως γενόμενα ἑωρῶμεν, γῆς μὲν Ἰουδαίων ἐρήμωσιν, καὶ τοὺς ἀπὸ παντὸς ἔθνους ἀνθρώπων διὰ τῆς παρὰ τῶν ἀποστόλων αὐτοῦ διδαχῆς πεισθέντας καὶ παραιτησαμένους τὰ παλαιά, ἐν οἷς πλανώμενοι ἀνεστράφησαν, ἔθη, ἑαυτοὺς ἡμᾶς ὁρῶντες, πλείονάς τε καὶ ἀληθεστέρους τοὺς ἐξ ἐθνῶν τῶν ἀπὸ Ἰουδαίων καὶ Σαμαρέων Χριστιανοὺς εἰδότες; Τὰ μὲν γὰρ ἄλλα πάντα γένη ἀνθρώπεια ὑπὸ τοῦ προφητικοῦ πνεύματος καλεῖται ἔθνη, τὸ δὲ ἰουδαϊκὸν καὶ σαμαρειτικὸν φῦλον Ἰσραὴλ καὶ οἶκος Ἰακὼβ κέκληνται. Ὡς δὲ προεφητεύθη, ὅτι πλείονες οἱ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν πιστεύοντες τῶν ἀπὸ Ἰουδαίων καὶ Σαμαρέων, τὰ προφητευθέντα ἀπαγγελοῦμεν. Ἐλέχθη δὲ οὕτως· Εὐφράνθητι στεῖρα ἡ οὐ τίκτουσα. ῥῆξον καὶ βόησον ἡ οὐκ ὠδίνουσα, ὅτι πολλὰ τὰ τέκνα τῆς ἐρήμου μᾶλλον ἢ τῆς ἐχούσης τὸν ἄνδρα. Ἔρημα γὰρ ἦν πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ἀληθινοῦ θεοῦ, χειρῶν ἔργοις λατρεύοντα· Ἰουδαῖοι δὲ καὶ Σαμαρεῖς, ἔχοντες τὸν παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ λόγον διὰ τῶν προφητῶν παραδοθέντα αὐτοῖς καὶ ἀεὶ προσδοκήσαντες τὸν Χριστόν, παραγενόμενον ἠγνόησαν, πλὴν ὀλίγων τινῶν, οὓς προεῖπε τὸ ἅγιον προφητικὸν πνεῦμα διὰ Ἡσαΐου σωθήσεσθαι. Εἶπε δὲ ὡς ἀπὸ προσώπου αὐτῶν· Εἰ μὴ κύριος ἐγκατέλιπεν ἡμῖν σπέρμα, ὡς Σόδομα καὶ Γόμοῤῥα ἂν ἐγενήθημεν. Σόδομα γὰρ καὶ Γόμοῤῥα πόλεις τινὲς ἀσεβῶν ἀνδρῶν. ἱστοροῦνται ὑπὸ Μωϋσέως γενόμεναι, ἃς πυρὶ καὶ θείῳ καύσας ὁ θεὸς κατέστρεψε, μηδενὸς τῶν ἐν αὐταῖς σωθέντος πλὴν ἀλλοεθνοῦς τινος Χαλδαίου τὸ γένος, ᾧ ὄνομα Λώτ· σὺν ᾧ καὶ θυγατέρες διεσώθησαν. Καὶ τὴν πᾶσαν αὐτῶν χώραν ἔρημον καὶ κεκαυμένην οὖσαν καὶ ἄγονον μένουσαν οἱ βουλόμενοι ὁρᾶν ἔχουσιν. Ὡς δὲ καὶ ἀληθέστεροι οἱ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν καὶ πιστότεροι προεγινώσκοντο, ἀπαγγελοῦμεν τὰ εἰρημένα διὰ Ἡσαΐου τοῦ προφήτου. Ἔφη δὲ οὕτως· Ἰσραὴλ ἀπερίτμητος τὴν καρδίαν, τὰ δὲ ἔθνη τὴν ἀκροβυστίαν. Τὰ τοσαῦτα γοῦν ὁρώμενα πειθὼ καὶ πίστιν τοῖς τἀληθὲς ἀσπαζομένοις καὶ μὴ φιλοδοξοῦσι μηδὲ ὑπὸ παθῶν ἀρχομένοις μετὰ λόγου ἐμφορῆσαι δύναται
我們其實還有許多別的預言可以引用，卻就此打住，因為判斷這些對於那些有聽覺、有悟性之耳的人，已足以使他們信服，並且認為他們能夠明白：我們不像那些為所謂宙斯之子捏造神話的人，只是空言主張而不能證明。因為我們若不是在他作為人降臨以前，就尋得了關於他所宣告的見證，又看見這些見證如此應驗了——就是猶太人之地的荒涼，並各族的人藉他眾使徒的教訓而信服、棄絕他們從前在其中迷失漂流的舊俗——又若不是親眼看見我們自己，並曉得從列邦來的基督徒比從猶太人和撒瑪利亞人來的更多、更真，那麼我們憑甚麼理由竟信一個被釘十字架的人，說他是那非受生之神的長子、並要親自審判全人類呢？因為一切別的人種都被預言之靈稱為「列邦」，惟有猶太和撒瑪利亞的支派被稱為以色列和雅各家。至於曾預言從列邦信主的人要比從猶太人和撒瑪利亞人信主的更多，我們要把所預言的報告出來。經上這樣說：「不懷孕、不生育的，你要歡樂；未曾經過產難的，你要發聲歡呼；因為孤獨之人的兒女，比有丈夫之人的兒女更多。」因為從前一切列邦都缺乏真神，事奉手所造的；而猶太人和撒瑪利亞人，雖有神藉眾先知交付他們的道，又向來指望基督，他降臨時卻不認識他，惟有少數人例外，就是至聖的預言之靈藉以賽亞所預言要得救的。他以他們的身分說：「若不是萬軍之主給我們存留餘種，我們早已像所多瑪、蛾摩拉一樣了。」所多瑪和蛾摩拉，據摩西所記，是某些不敬虔之人的城；神用火與硫磺焚燒，將它們傾覆了，其中無一人得救，惟有一個外族人，按血統是迦勒底人，名叫羅得，連同他的女兒得以保全。凡願意觀看的，都可看見他們全地至今仍是荒涼、被焚、不生產的。至於從列邦來的人也被預知要更真、更忠信，我們要把藉先知以賽亞所說的報告出來。他這樣說：「以色列是心未受割禮的，而列邦是肉身未受割禮的。」這些事既被看見，便能憑著理性，使那些愛慕真理、不貪虛榮、不被私慾轄制的人得著信服和信心。
We have indeed many other prophecies that we could cite, but we have stopped, judging these too to be sufficient for the persuasion of those who have hearing and intelligent ears, and considering that they are able to understand that we do not, like those who fashioned myths about the so-called sons of Zeus, merely make assertions without being able to prove them. For by what reasoning should we have believed in a crucified man, that he is the firstborn of the unbegotten God and will himself execute judgment upon the whole human race, unless we had found testimonies proclaimed concerning him before he came as a man, and had seen them so fulfilled — the desolation of the land of the Jews, and men of every race persuaded through the teaching of his apostles and renouncing the old customs in which they had wandered in error — and unless we saw ourselves, and knew that the Christians from the nations are both more numerous and more true than those from the Jews and Samaritans? For all the other races of men are called "nations" by the prophetic Spirit, but the Jewish and Samaritan tribe are called Israel and the house of Jacob. And how it was prophesied that more from the nations should believe than from the Jews and Samaritans, we will report what was prophesied. It was said thus: "Rejoice, you barren one who do not bear; break forth and cry out, you who do not travail, for many are the children of the desolate, more than of her who has the husband." For all the nations were desolate of the true God, serving the works of hands; but the Jews and Samaritans, having the word from God handed to them through the prophets, and always expecting Christ, failed to recognize him when he came, except for a few, whom the holy prophetic Spirit foretold through Isaiah would be saved. He said, as from their person: "Unless the Lord had left us a seed, we would have become as Sodom and Gomorrah." For Sodom and Gomorrah are recorded by Moses to have been certain cities of impious men, which God overthrew, burning them with fire and brimstone, none of those in them being saved except a certain foreigner, a Chaldean by race, whose name was Lot, with whom his daughters also were preserved. And those who wish may see that their whole country remains a wilderness, burned, and barren. And that those from the nations were also foreknown to be more true and more faithful, we will report what was said through Isaiah the prophet. He spoke thus: "Israel is uncircumcised in heart, but the nations in the foreskin." Such things, then, when seen, are able to bring conviction and faith, with reason, to those who embrace the truth and are not lovers of vainglory nor ruled by their passions.