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Acts of Disputation

Archelaus

Chapter 44

About this work

Author: Archelaus

Section 44

44. Now this word also has the veil. For up

‹ Chapter 43 Chapter 45 ›

to

the

time

of

Herod

they

did

appear

to

retain

a

kingdom

in

some

sort

;

and

it

was

by

Augustus

that

the

first

enrolment

took

place

among

them

,

and

that

they

began

to

pay

tribute

,

and

to

be

rated

.

Now

it

was

also

from

the

time

when

our

Lord

Jesus

Christ

began

to

be

prophesied

of

and

looked

for

that

there

began

to

be

princes

from

Judah

and

leaders

of

the

people

;

and

these

,

again

,

failed

just

at

the

approach

of

His

advent

.

If

,

then

,

the

veil

is

taken

away

which

is

put

on

in

that

reading

of

theirs

,

they

will

understand

the

true

virtue

of

the

circumcision

;

and

they

will

also

discover

that

the

generation

of

Him

whom

we

preach

,

and

His

cross

,

and

all

the

things

that

have

happened

in

the

history

of

our

Lord

,

are

those

very

matters

which

had

been

predicted

of

that

Prophet

.

And

I

could

wish

,

indeed

,

to

examine

every

such

passage

of

Scripture

by

itself

,

and

to

point

out

its

import

,

as

it

is

meet

that

it

should

be

understood

.

But

as

it

is

another

subject

that

is

now

urgent

,

these

passages

shall

be

discussed

by

us

at

some

season

of

leisure

.

For

at

present

,

what

I

have

already

said

may

be

sufficient

for

the

purpose

of

showing

,

that

it

is

not

without

reason

that

the

veil

is

(

said

to

be

)

put

upon

the

heart

of

certain

persons

in

the

reading

of

the

Old

Testament

.

But

those

who

turn

to

the

Lord

shall

have

the

veil

taken

away

from

them

.

What

precise

force

all

these

things

,

however

,

may

possess

,

I

leave

to

the

apprehension

of

those

who

have

sound

intelligence

.

Let

us

come

now

again

to

that

word

of

Moses

,

in

which

he

says

:

“

The

Lord

your

God

shall

raise

up

a

Prophet

unto

you

,

of

your

brethren

,

like

unto

me

.

”

In

this

saying

I

perceive

a

great

prophecy

delivered

by

the

servant

Moses

,

as

by

one

cognizant

that

He

who

is

to

come

is

indeed

to

be

possessed

of

greater

authority

than

himself

,

and

nevertheless

is

to

suffer

like

things

with

him

,

and

to

show

like

signs

and

wonders

.

For

there

,

Moses

after

his

birth

was

placed

by

his

mother

in

an

ark

,

and

exposed

beside

the

banks

of

the

river

;

here

,

our

Lord

Jesus

Christ

,

after

His

birth

by

Mary

His

mother

,

was

sent

off

in

flight

into

Egypt

through

the

instrumentality

of

an

angel

.

There

,

Moses

led

forth

his

people

from

the

midst

of

the

Egyptians

,

and

saved

them

;

and

here

,

Jesus

,

leading

forth

His

people

from

the

midst

of

the

Pharisees

,

transferred

them

to

an

eternal

salvation

.

There

,

Moses

sought

bread

by

prayer

,

and

received

it

from

heaven

,

in

order

that

he

might

feed

the

people

with

it

in

the

wilderness

;

here

,

my

Lord

Jesus

by

His

own

power

satisfied

with

five

loaves

five

thousand

men

in

the

wilderness

.

There

,

Moses

when

he

was

tried

was

set

upon

the

mountain

and

fasted

forty

days

;

and

here

,

my

Lord

Jesus

was

led

by

the

Spirit

into

the

wilderness

when

He

was

tempted

of

the

devil

,

and

fasted

in

like

manner

forty

days

.

There

,

before

the

sight

of

Moses

,

all

the

first

-

born

of

the

Egyptians

perished

on

account

of

the

treachery

of

Pharaoh

;

and

here

,

at

the

time

of

the

birth

of

Jesus

,

every

male

among

the

Jews

suddenly

perished

by

reason

of

the

treachery

of

Herod

.

There

,

Moses

prayed

that

Pharaoh

and

his

people

might

be

spared

the

plagues

;

and

here

,

our

Lord

Jesus

prayed

that

the

Pharisees

might

be

pardoned

,

when

He

said

,

“

Father

,

forgive

them

,

for

they

know

not

what

they

do

.

”

There

,

the

countenance

of

Moses

shone

with

the

glory

of

the

Lord

,

so

that

the

children

of

Israel

could

not

stedfastly

look

upon

his

face

,

on

account

of

the

glory

of

his

countenance

;

and

here

,

the

Lord

Jesus

Christ

shone

like

the

sun

,

and

His

disciples

were

not

able

to

look

upon

His

face

by

reason

of

the

glory

of

His

countenance

and

the

intense

splendour

of

the

light

.

There

,

Moses

smote

down

with

the

sword

those

who

had

set

up

the

calf

;

and

here

,

the

Lord

Jesus

said

,

“

I

came

to

send

a

sword

upon

the

earth

,

and

to

set

a

man

at

variance

with

his

neighbour

,

”

and

so

on

.

There

,

Moses

went

without

fear

into

the

darkness

of

the

clouds

that

carry

water

;

and

here

,

the

Lord

Jesus

walked

with

all

power

upon

the

waters

.

There

,

Moses

gave

his

commands

to

the

sea

;

and

here

,

the

Lord

Jesus

,

when

he

was

on

the

sea

,

rose

and

gave

His

commands

to

the

winds

and

the

sea

.

There

,

Moses

,

when

he

was

assailed

,

stretched

forth

his

hands

and

fought

against

Amalek

;

and

here

,

the

Lord

Jesus

,

when

we

were

assailed

and

were

perishing

by

the

violence

of

that

erring

spirit

who

works

now

in

the

just

,

stretched

forth

His

hands

upon

the

cross

,

and

gave

us

salvation

.

But

there

are

indeed

many

other

matters

of

this

kind

which

I

must

pass

by

,

my

dearly

beloved

Diodorus

,

as

I

am

in

haste

to

send

you

this

little

book

with

all

convenient

speed

;

and

these

omissions

of

mine

you

will

be

able

yourself

to

supply

very

easily

by

your

own

intelligence

.

Write

me

,

however

,

an

account

of

all

that

this

servant

of

the

adversary’s

cause

may

do

hereafter

.

May

the

Omnipotent

God

preserve

you

whole

in

soul

and

in

spirit

!

Notes

1
Censum dare.
2
Reading “sermonem, et ostendere ut intelligi dignum est.” The Codex Bobiensis gives a mutilated version: “sermonem, ut intelligi, dignum est.”
3
Reading “Moysi scientis,” which is the emendation of Valesius. But Codex Casinensis gives “scientibus,” and Codex Bobiensis has “scientes.”
4
Ex. ii.
5
Matt. ii. 13.
6
Ex. xiv.
7
Mark viii. 15.
8
Ex. xvi.
9
Adopting “satiavit.” The Codex Bobiensis gives “saturavit.”
10
Matt. xiv.
11
Ex. xxxiv.
12
Matt. iv. 2.
13
Ex. xii.
14
Matt. ii. 16.
15
Ex. viii.
16
Luke xxiii. 34.
17
Ex. xxxiv. 35.
18
Matt. xvii. 2.
19
Ex. xxxii.
20
Matt. x. 34.
21
Ex. xxiv. 18.
22
Matt. xiv. 25.
23
Ex. xiv.
24
Reading “in mari.” But the Codex Bobiensis has in navi = on a ship.
25
Matt. viii. 26.
26
Ex. xvii.
27
The text gives in justis. But the Codex Bobiensis has in istis = in those men. The true reading may be in injustis = in the unrighteous. See Eph. ii. 2.
28
But the Codex Casinensis gives “Deus omnium” = the God of all.