約伯倫理 第 1234 章

56. From the sons of Abraham they became stones, because of the hardness of their heart; and the Gentiles, formerly stones, were turned into sons of Abraham. — For I remember I have already often taught that by waters peoples are understood. But by a stone, on account of its very hardness, sometimes the Gentile peoples are designated. For they themselves worshipped stones. And of these it is said through the prophet: 'Let those who make them become like them, and all who trust in them' (Ps. 113:8 [115:8]). Hence John, seeing the Jews exalting themselves over the pedigree of their descent, and foreseeing that the Gentiles would pass over to the offspring of Abraham through the knowledge of faith, said: 'Do not presume to say within yourselves, We have Abraham as our father. For I say to you, that God is able of these stones to raise up sons to Abraham' (Matt.

3:9) — calling the hard Gentiles, on account of their unbelief, stones. Because therefore first Judea believed in God, while all the Gentile world remained in the obstinacy of its unbelief, but afterward the hearts of the Gentiles were softened to faith, and the unbelief of the Jews was hardened, it is well said: 'The waters are hardened into the likeness of a stone.' As though He were to say: Those soft hearts of the Jews, penetrable to faith, are turned into the insensibility of the Gentiles. For when the merciful God drew the Gentiles, in wrath He repelled Judea. And it came to pass that, just as the Gentile world had formerly been hardened against receiving the faith, so afterward, once the faith had been received by the Gentiles, the people of Judea grew hard with the numbness of unbelief. Whence the apostle Paul says to those same Gentiles:

'As you also once did not believe God, but now have obtained mercy through their unbelief; so these also now have not believed in your mercy, that they also may obtain mercy. For God has concluded all in unbelief, that He may have mercy upon all' (Rom. 11:30-32). Weighing this his judgment subtly — first concerning the calling of the Jews and the repelling of the Gentiles, but afterward concerning the calling of the Gentiles and the repelling of the Jews — and considering that he could not comprehend the hidden judgments of God, he added, crying out:

'O the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how incomprehensible are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!' (Rom. 11:33). Wherefore here also, when concerning the unbelief of the Jews the Lord said, 'The waters are hardened into the likeness of a stone,' in order to show that His judgments concerning their rejection are hidden, He aptly added: