§12Quod autem dicunt reliqui eorum cultores etiam suorum quibusdam libris haec praecognita contineri, quamquam ex rebus inpletis conficta putanda sint, quae in eorum templis tam longo antea tempore populis eorum, si uera essent, innotescere debuerunt, sicut nostra non solum in ecclesiis nostris, uerum etiam — quod ad grauius testimonium contra omnes inimicos ualet — in iudaeorum synagogis antiquissima et notissima recitantur: tamen nec ipsa ista, quae ab eis uix raro et clanculo proferuntur, mouere nos debent, si cuiquam daemonum extortum est id prodere cultoribus suis, quod didicerat ex eloquiis prophetarum uel ex oraculis angelorum, quod cur non fieret, cum et ista non sit oppugnatio, sed adtestatio ueritatis? illud enim, quod solum ab eis flagitandum est, nec umquam antea protulerunt nec umquam postea nisi forte confictum proferre conabuntur, aliquid deos suos per uates suos contra deum Israhel ausos fuisse praedicere aut dicere.
But as for their remaining worshippers saying that these foreknown things are contained also in some of their own books, although they must be thought to have been forged from events already fulfilled—which, if they were true, ought to have become known to their peoples in their temples so long a time beforehand, just as our very ancient and most noted scriptures are read not only in our churches, but also—which avails for a weightier testimony against all enemies—in the synagogues of the Jews: yet not even those very things which are scarcely ever and only secretly produced by them ought to move us, if any of the demons was forced to betray to his worshippers that which he had learned from the utterances of the prophets or from the oracles of the angels; and why should this not happen, since even this is not an attack upon, but an attestation of the truth? For that which alone is to be demanded of them, they have neither ever produced before, nor will they ever hereafter attempt to produce, unless perchance forged: namely, that their gods, through their prophets, dared to predict or say anything against the God of Israel.
de quo deo doctissimi eorum auctores, qui omnia illa legere ac nosse potuerunt, magis quaesierunt, quis deus esset quam deum negare potuerunt.
Concerning which God their most learned authors, who were able to read and know all those writings, rather inquired who he was than were able to deny him to be God.
porro autem deus iste, quem nullus eorum negare ausus est uerum deum, qui et si negaret, non solum subiaceret debitis poenis, uerum etiam certis conuinceretur effectis: iste ergo deus, quem nemo, ut dixi, illorum negare ausus est uerum deum, illos falsos esse deos et omnino deserendos eorumque templa et simulacra euertenda per suos uates, hoc est prophetas, aperta denuntiatione praedixit, aperta potestate praecepit, aperta ueritate conpleuit.
Furthermore, this God, whom none of them dared to deny to be the true God—who, even if he did deny it, would not only lie under due penalties, but would also be convinced by certain effects—this God, therefore, whom no one, as I have said, of them dared to deny to be the true God, predicted by an open denunciation through his own seers, that is, prophets, that those were false gods and to be entirely abandoned, and their temples and idols to be overthrown, commanded it by open power, and fulfilled it by open truth.
unde quis usque adeo desipiat, qui non eum potius colendum eligat, quem coli non prohibent, quos colebat? quem procul dubio cum colere coeperit, illos utique non est culturas, quos prohibet coli quem colit.
Whence who would be so foolish as not rather to choose to worship Him, whom those whom he used to worship do not forbid to be worshipped? Whom without doubt when he has begun to worship, he will certainly not worship those whom He, whom he worships, forbids to be worshipped.
§13Quod autem ipsum essent culturae gentes exterminatis diis falsis, quos antea colebant, a prophetis eius esse praedictum paulo ante commemoraui et nunc repeto.
But that the nations would worship Him Himself, after the false gods whom they previously worshipped were exterminated, I mentioned a little before was predicted by His prophets, and I now repeat it.
praeualebit, inquit, dominus aduersus eos et exterminabit omnes deos gentium terrae, et adorabunt eum unusquisque de loco suo, omnes insulae gentium. neque solae insulae, sed ita omnes gentes, ut etiam omnes insulae gentium, quandoquidem alibi non insulas nominat, sed uniuersum orbem terrarum dicens: commemorabuntur et conuertentur ad dominum uniuersi fines terrae, et adorabunt in conspectu eius uniuersae patriae gentium, quoniam domini est regnum, et ipse dominabitur gentium. haec autem per Christum fuisse conplenda et aliis pluribus testimoniis et in eodem ipso psalmo, unde hoc commemoraui, satis adparet.
"The Lord," he says, "will prevail against them, and will exterminate all the gods of the nations of the earth, and they shall adore Him, every one from his own place, all the islands of the nations." And not the islands alone, but all nations in such a manner that even all the islands of the nations, since in another place he does not name the islands, but saying of the whole world: "All the ends of the earth shall remember and be converted to the Lord, and all the kindreds of the nations shall adore in His sight; for the kingdom is the Lord's, and He Himself shall rule over the nations." But that these things were to be fulfilled through Christ is sufficiently apparent both from several other testimonies and in that very same psalm from which I quoted this.
cum enim paulo superius futuram passionem suam per prophetam ipse loqueretur dicens: foderunt manus meas et pedes meos, dinumerauerunt omnia ossa mea; ipsi uero considerauerunt et conspexerunt me.
For when a little above He Himself spoke of His future passion through the prophet, saying: "They pierced my hands and my feet, they numbered all my bones; but they considered and stared upon me.
diuiserunt sibi uestimenta mea, et super uestimentum meum miserunt sortem, paulo post infert illud, quod posui: commemorabuntur et conuertentur ad dominum uniuersi fines terrae et cetera.
They divided my garments among them, and upon my vesture they cast lots," a little after He subjoins that which I have placed: "All the ends of the earth shall remember and be converted to the Lord," and so forth.
quamquam et illud testimonium, quod prius adhibui, ubi dictum est: praeualebit dominus aduersus eos, et exterminabit omnes deos gentium terrae, in eo, quod positum est \'praeualebit\', satis ostenditur etiam hoc praenuntiatum, quod pagani prius oppugnaturi essent ecclesiam nomenque christianum, quantum ualerent, persecuturi, ut, si fieri posset, de terra omnino deleretur.
Although in that other testimony also which I first adduced, where it is said: "The Lord will prevail against them, and will exterminate all the gods of the nations of the earth," in that word "He will prevail" it is sufficiently shown that this also was foretold, that the pagans would first attack the Church and persecute the Christian name with all their might, so that, if possible, it might be utterly blotted out from the earth.
et quia eos patientia martyrum et magnitudine miraculorum et consequente fide populorum erat superaturus, ideo sic dictum est: praeualebit dominus aduersus eos. non enim diceretur: praeualebit aduersus eos, nisi oppugnando illi resisterent.
And because He was to overcome them by the patience of the martyrs and the greatness of miracles, and the consequent faith of the peoples, therefore it was said: "The Lord will prevail against them." For it would not be said: "He will prevail against them," unless they resisted by attacking.
unde et in psalmo ita prophetatum est: ut quid fremuerunt gentes, et populi meditati sunt inania? adstiterunt reges terrae, et principes conuenerunt in unum aduersus dominum et aduersus Christum eius.
Whence also in the psalm it is thus prophesied: "Why have the nations raged, and the peoples devised vain things?
et paulo post dicit: dominus dixit ad me: filius meus es tu, ego hodie genui te; postula a me, et dabo tibi gentes hereditatem tuam et possessionem tuam terminos terrae. ecce unde dictum est et in alio psalmo, quod superius interposui: commemorabuntur et conuertentur ad dominum uniuersi fines terrae. his atque huius modi propheticis documentis praedictum ostenditur, quod uidemus inpleri per Christum, futurum fuisse, ut deus Israhel, quem unum uerum deum intellegimus, non in una ipsa gente, quae appellata est Israhel, sed in omnibus gentibus coleretur et omnes falsos deos gentium et a templis eorum et a cordibus cultorum suorum amoliretur.
The kings of the earth stood up, and the princes met together in one, against the Lord and against His Christ." And a little after he says: "The Lord said to me: You are my Son, today I have begotten You; ask of me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession." Behold whence it was said also in the other psalm, which I inserted above: "All the ends of the earth shall remember and be converted to the Lord." By these and such-like prophetic documents it is shown to have been predicted that that which we see fulfilled through Christ was to happen: namely, that the God of Israel, whom we understand to be the one true God, should be worshipped not in that one nation alone which was called Israel, but in all nations, and should remove all the false gods of the nations both from their temples and from the hearts of their worshippers.