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Three Books of Testimonies Against the Jews

Cyprian of Carthage

Book 1 · Introduction

About this work

Author: Cyprian of Carthage

In Isaiah: “Rejoice, thou barren, that

‹ Book 1 · Section 19 Book 1 · Section 20 ›

barest

not

;

and

break

forth

and

cry

,

thou

that

travailest

not

:

because

many

more

are

the

children

of

the

desolate

one

than

of

her

who

hath

an

husband

.

For

the

Lord

hath

said

,

Enlarge

the

place

of

thy

tabernacle

,

and

of

thy

curtains

,

and

fasten

them

:

spare

not

,

make

long

thy

measures

,

and

strengthen

thy

stakes

:

stretch

forth

yet

to

thy

right

hand

and

to

thy

left

hand

;

and

thy

seed

shall

possess

the

nations

,

and

shall

inhabit

the

deserted

cities

.

Fear

not

;

because

thou

shalt

overcome

:

nor

be

afraid

because

thou

art

cursed

;

for

thou

shalt

forget

thy

eternal

confusion

.

”

Thus

also

to

Abraham

,

when

his

former

son

was

born

of

a

bond

-

woman

,

Sarah

remained

long

barren

;

and

late

in

old

age

bare

her

son

Isaac

,

of

promise

,

who

was

the

type

of

Christ

.

Thus

also

Jacob

received

two

wives

:

the

elder

Leah

,

with

weak

eyes

,

a

type

of

the

synagogue

;

the

younger

the

beautiful

Rachel

,

a

type

of

the

Church

,

who

also

remained

long

barren

,

and

afterwards

brought

forth

Joseph

,

who

also

was

himself

a

type

of

Christ

.

And

in

the

first

of

Kings

it

is

said

that

Elkanah

had

two

wives

:

Peninnah

,

with

her

sons

;

and

Hannah

,

barren

,

from

whom

is

born

Samuel

,

not

according

to

the

order

of

generation

,

but

according

to

the

mercy

and

promise

of

God

,

when

she

had

prayed

in

the

temple

;

and

Samuel

being

born

,

was

a

type

of

Christ

.

Also

in

the

first

book

of

Kings

:

“

The

barren

hath

borne

seven

and

she

that

had

many

children

has

grown

weak

.

”

But

the

seven

children

are

the

seven

churches

.

Whence

also

Paul

wrote

to

seven

churches

;

and

the

Apocalypse

sets

forth

seven

churches

,

that

the

number

seven

may

be

preserved

;

as

the

seven

days

in

which

God

made

the

world

;

as

the

seven

angels

who

stand

and

go

in

and

out

before

the

face

of

God

,

as

Raphael

the

angel

says

in

Tobit

;

and

the

sevenfold

lamp

in

the

tabernacle

of

witness

;

and

the

seven

eyes

of

God

,

which

keep

watch

over

the

world

;

and

the

stone

with

seven

eyes

,

as

Zechariah

says

;

and

the

seven

spirits

;

and

the

seven

candlesticks

in

the

Apocalypse

;

and

the

seven

pillars

upon

which

Wisdom

hath

builded

her

house

in

Solomon

.

Notes

1
Isa. liv. 1–4.
2
1 Sam. ii. 5. [Compare Treatise xi. p. 503, supra.]