clothe with incorruption the bodies of those who so deserve, but shall send those of the wicked into everlasting fire, there to dwell in endless consciousness with the evil spirits.

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67. Now that these things also are foretold, we will proceed to show. Thus, then, was it spoken by Ezekiel the prophet: "There shall be brought together joint to joint, and bone to bone: and flesh shall grow upon them." And, "Every knee shall bow to the LORD, and every tongue shall confess to him."1 Hear also what is in like manner foretold, to show in what degree of sensibility and punishment the wicked shall be. The words are these: "Their worm shall not cease, and their fire shall not be quenched." And then shall they repent, when it will avail them nothing. Moreover what the people of the Jews shall say and do, when they see him coming in glory, is foretold in these words by the prophet Zechariah: "I will command the four winds to bring together my children that are scattered: I will command the north to bring and the south to oppose not. And then in Jerusalem shall there be great wailing; not the wailing of the mouth or of the lips, but wailing of the heart. And they shall rend not their garments but their consciences. One tribe

shall mourn to another: and then shall they look on him whom they pierced, and shall say, Wherefore, LORD, hast thou caused us to wander from thy way? The glory, which our fathers blessed, is turned to our reproach."

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68. Although we might mention also many other prophecies, we here pause, persuaded that these are sufficient to convince such as have ears to hear, and hearts to understand; and nothing doubting that they will perceive, that we are not like those, who devise fables concerning the supposed sons of Jupiter, asserting what we are unable to prove. For how should we believe of a man who was crucified, that he was the first-born of the unbegotten GOD, and should himself be the judge of all the human race, unless we

* See Ezek. xxxvii. 6-8.

1 Isa. xlv. 23. See Rom. xiv. 11.

Isa. lxvi. 24. Mark ix. 44. See Zech. ii. 6; xii. 2, 10, 12. Isa. xi. 12; xliii. 5, 6; lxiii. 17; lxiv. 11. Joel ii. 13.

found testimonies of him foretold, before he came and was made man, and saw also that it so came to pass? For we have witnessed the desolation of the land of the Jews, and have seen such men, as we ourselves are, men out of every nation, persuaded by the teaching of his apostles, and renouncing their former manner of life, in which they had gone astray; and that Christians more numerous and more true have been made from the Gentiles, than from the Jews and Samaritans. For all other nations of mankind are called Gentiles, by the prophetic spirit; but the tribes of Judea and Samaria are denominated Israel and the house of Jacob.

69. And to show that it was foretold that there should be a greater number of believers from the Gentiles, than from the Jews and Samaritans, we will produce the prophecies, which are these. "Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not, break out and cry, thou that travailest not: for the children of the barren are more than those of her which hath a husband.". For all the nations were barren of the knowledge of the true GOD, worshipping the works of their own hands: but the Jews and Samaritans, who by the prophets had the word delivered to them from GoD, and continually looked for the CHRIST, knew him not when he came, except a certain few, who should be saved; even as the prophetic spirit foretold, by Isaiah. For he said, in their name, 66 Except the LORD had left us a seed, we should have been as Sodom and Gomorrha." P These are related by Moses to have been cities of wicked men, which GoD overthrew, and burned with fire and brimstone, so that no one who was in them was saved, except one man of another nation, a Chaldean by birth, named Lot, with whom his daughters also were saved. And any who wish, may now see the whole of that country desolate and burnt up, and still remaining unproductive. Moreover to show that it was foreseen that they of the Gentiles should be more true and more faithful, we will state what was thus spoken by 89 the prophet Isaiah: "Israel is uncircumcised in heart, but the Gentiles (are uncircumcised) in the flesh."

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70. What, then, hath now been so fully seen may reasonably produce conviction and faith in those who embrace the truth, and are not vain-glorious, nor governed by their passions. Whereas they who teach the fables which have been invented by the poets, offer no proof to the young men who learn them and we have shown that such tales are spoken, by the influence of evil demons, to deceive the human race, and lead them astray. For having heard that it was declared by the prophets that CHRIST should come, and that wicked men should be punished by fire, they put forward many, whom we have already mentioned, to be called the sons of Jupiter; supposing that thus they might persuade men to consider what was related respecting CHRIST to be merely fabulous prodigies, of the same nature with those related by the poets. And these inventions were circulated both among the Greeks and all other nations, where they understood the prophets to declare that the belief in CHRIST should most prevail. We shall show, however, that when they thus heard what was spoken by the prophets, they did not perfectly understand it, but erroneously imitated what was really performed by CHRIST, in whom we believe. 71. Moses, then, the prophet, was, as we have before stated, more ancient than all other writers; and he delivered this prophecy, which hath been already quoted: "A prince shall not fail from Judah, nor a ruler from between his feet," until He shall come for whom it is reserved: and He shall be the expectation of the Gentiles, binding his colt to a vine, washing his garment in the blood of the grape." The demons then, hearing these prophetic words, asserted that Bacchus was born the son of Jupiter; they ascribed to him also the invention of the vine, and in the celebration of his mysteries led an ass in procession, and taught that Bacchus was torn in pieces, and taken up

"Ek Twν μnpwv. See also the note (g) on Sect. 40, p. 156. * Gen. xlix. 10.

* οἶνον (ὄνον) ἐν ταῖς μυστηρίαις αὐτοῦ ἀναγράφουσι (ἀναφέρουσι.) Compare Dial. with Trypho, p. 295, where the same argument is used, and the same instances adduced. PLINY, Hist. Nat. xxiv. 1, says that the ass was sacred to Bacchus.

into heaven. And since, in the prophecy of Moses, it was not plainly expressed, whether he who should come was to be the Son of God, (or of man,) and whether, thus riding upon a colt, he should remain upon earth, or ascend into heaven; since also the word, colt, might imply the foal either of an ass or of a horse, and they doubted whether he who was predicted should lead an ass's colt, or that of a horse, as the sign of his coming, and whether he should be the Son of God or of man, they said that Bellerophon also, a man born of a human parent, went up to heaven 90 upon the horse Pegasus. When also they heard

that it was said by another prophet, Isaiah, that CHRIST should be born of a virgin, and should ascend to heaven by himself, they devised the story of Perseus. Knowing, again, that it was said, as hath been already shown by reference to the prophets, "He shall be strong as a giant to run a race, they told of Hercules, who was strong, and wandered over the whole earth. And when again they learned that it was prophesied, that CHRIST should heal all manner of disease, and raise the dead, they introduced Esculapius.

72. But in no instance, nor in the history of any of those who were called the sons of Jupiter, did they imitate his crucifixion: for since all that was spoken respecting this was figuratively expressed, as we have shown, it was unintelligible to them. Now the cross, as the prophet hath predicted, is the greatest sign of his might and dominion; as is plain from what falls under our own observation. For observe how impossible it is that any thing in the world should be regulated, or any mutual intercourse carried on, without employing this figure. The sea cannot be navigated, unless this symbol, as the mast and yard-arm of the sail, remains firm in the ship. Without an instrument in this form, the land cannot be ploughed: neither can they who dig exercise their labor, nor handicraft-men pursue their occupations, without implements which are fashioned in like manner. The human figure also differs from those of irrational animals in no respect but this, that it is erect, and hath the hands extended: ⚫ Ps, xix. 5, b Compare Sect. 30,

Sect. 29,

and in the countenance also hath the nose reaching downward from the forehead, by which we are able to breathe. This again shows no figure but that of the cross. It is spoken also by the prophet, "The breath before our nostrils is CHRIST the LORD." c The signs also in use among yourselves show the force of the same figure, [as in the instance of standards] and trophies, by which your progress is every where marked. In all these, ye show the true sign of authority and power, although ye do it ignorantly. Moreover by the use of the same figure, ye set up the figures of your deceased emperors, and denominate them gods, by the accompanying inscriptions. Having then thus exhorted you, to the utmost of our power, both by an appeal to your reason, and to these sensible signs, we know that we shall henceforth be blameless, even if ye believe not. For we have done our duty, and brought our work to an end.

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73. It was not sufficient, however, for the evil demons to declare, before the coming of CHRIST, that those sons, who have been spoken of, were born to Jupiter: but afterward, when CHRIST had appeared and dwelt with men, and they learned in what manner he was predicted by the prophets, and knew that men of all nations believed on him and expected him [to come again to judgment], they again raised up others, as we

• Lament. iv. 20. πνεῦμα πρὸ προσώπου ἡμῶν Χριστὸς Κύριος. The Septuagint version now has vεuμа проσάлоν, "the breath of our nostrils." And the words are so quoted by TERTULLIAN, Adversus Marcion: iii. 6. Advers. Praxeam. c. 14. IRENEUS, Adv. Hæres. Lib. iii. c. 11, p. 315. In the Apostolical Constitutions, Lib. v. c. 20, the words are quoted in the same manner as by Justin. TERTULLIAN argues from this passage, that it was CHRIST, who spake by the prophets, and appeared at various times, before his coming in the flesh. The mystical senses, which Justin and others of the Fathers have applied to this passage, depend upon the Greek version, in which is found Χριστὸς Κύριος, and not Χριστὸς Κυρίου, “the Anointed of the LORD;" by which term probably Zedekiah was meant.

ὰ Καὶ τὰ παρ' ὑμῖν δὲ σύμβολα τὴν τοῦ σχήματος τούτου δύναμιν δηλοῖ· .

· λλωμεν καὶ τῶν τροπαίων.—Some words are here lost. Among the different conjectures, that of THIRLBY seems as probable as any :δηλοῖ· λέγω δὲ τὰ τῶν καλουμένων παρ' ὑμῖν οὐιξίλλων· καὶ τῶν τροπαίων. Notions of the same fanciful kind, respecting the universal use of the figure of the cross, are found in MINUCIUS FELIX, Octavius, c. 29, and in JUSTIN's Dialogue with Trypho, p. 317, 318, 332. He finds it exemplified, among other instances, in the horn of the unicorn!