Demonstratio Evangelica [The Proof of the Gospel]. Tr. W.J. Ferrar (1920) Book 3
CHAPTER 6: Against Those who think that the Christ
of God was a Sorcerer
What sorcerer has ever thought of establishing laws
against idolatry in direct opposition to the decrees of kings, ancient
legislators, poets, philosophers, and theologians, and of giving them power,
and of promulgating them so that they should last on unconquered and invincible
for long ages? But our Lord and Saviour did not conceive and not dare to
attempt, neither did he attempt and not succeed. With one word and voice He
said to His disciples: "Go, and make disciples of all
the nations in My Name, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have
commanded you," and He joined the effect to His Word; and in a
little while every race of the Greeks and Barbarians was being brought into
discipleship, and laws were spread among all nations opposed to the
superstition of the ancients, laws inimical to daemons, and to all the deceits
of polytheism, laws that have made Scythians, Persians, and the other
barbarians temperate, and revolutionized every lawless and uncivilized custom,
laws that have overturned the immemorial habits of the Greeks themselves, and
heralded a new and real religion. What similar daring has been shewn by the
ancient sorcerers before the time of Jesus, or even after Him, which would make
it plausible that He was assisted in His sorcery by others? And if the only
answer to this is that no one has ever been like Him, for no one was the source
of His virtue, surely it is time to confess that a strange and divine Being has
sojourned in our humanity, by Whom alone, and for the first time in (c) man's
history, things unrecorded before in human annals have been effected.
CHAPTER 7: Oracles about Christ.
And who would not be amazed and naturally inclined
to disbelieve a thing so extraordinary, for none of those who have ever won
fame among men----no king, no legislator, no philosopher, no Greek, no
barbarian----are recorded to have ever conceived such a design, or dreamed of
anything at all resembling it? For each one of them has been satisfied, if he
could establish his own system over his own land only, and if he were able to
enforce desirable laws within the limits of his own race. Whereas He, who
conceived nothing human or mortal, see how truly He speaks with the voice of
God, saying in these very words to those disciples of His, the poorest of the
poor: "Go forth, and make disciples of all the nations."
"But how," the disciples might reasonably have answered the Master,
"can we do it? How, pray, can we preach to Romans? How can we argue with
Egyptians? We are men bred up to use the Syrian tongue only, what language
shall we speak to Greeks? How shall we persuade Persians, Armenians,
Chaldrearis, Scythians, Indians, and other barbarous nations to give up their
ancestral gods, and worship the Creator of all?
But while the disciples of Jesus
were most likely either saying thus, or thinking thus, the Master solved their
difficulties, by the addition of one phrase, saying they should triumph "In MY NAME." For He did not bid them simply and
indefinitely make disciples of all nations, but with the necessary addition of "In
my Name." And the power of His Name being so great, that the apostle
says: "God has given him a name which is above every name, that in the
name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth,
and things under the earth," [Phil
2.9] He shewed the virtue of the power in His Name concealed from the crowd
when He said to His disciples: "Go, and make disciples of all
nations in my Name." He also most accurately forecasts the
future when He says: "For this gospel must first be
preached to all the world, for a witness to all nations."
Commentary on Psalms, The Lord's Command to Baptise Trans.
Bernard H. Cuneo, 1923:
59:9:
"According to another explanation, the words Sichem, Galaad, Manasses,
Ephraim, Juda, Moab, and Edom represent all nations indiscriminately. The Jews
are mentioned in the first place, because to them first should the kingdom of
God be announced; but after them Christ commanded his disciples to preach the
Gospel 'to all the nations in his name.'"
65:5-6: "All nations are invited to come consider the
awe-inspiring deeds, which God performed in behalf of his people, in Egypt, in
the Red Sea, in the Jordan; and to reflect that he who could confute his
enemies of old, is still powerful against them. Hence we should rejoice in him,
who by his power endureth forever. We should understand these words of that
saying of Christ: 'All power is given to me in heaven and on earth. Going make disciples of all the nations in my name.'
Wherefore Aquila translates it: 'who exercises authority in his power
forever.'"
67:34: "That Christ's voice was endowed with power is evident
from his deeds; for when he said to his disciples: 'Come, follow me, and I
shall make you fishers of men," he actually fulfilled this promise by his
power; and again when he commanded them saying: 'Going make
disciples of all the nations in my name,' he manifested his power in
very deed."
76:20: "From the preceding verse we learn that the earth shook
and trembled. This was realized when Christ entered Jerusalem, and the entire
city was in consternation; also when the nations of the world trembled upon
hearing the words of the Gospel from the lips of the Apostles. How should we
understand the prophet when he says that Christ's way is in the sea, and his
paths in many waters, and his footsteps will not be known? This passage
receives light from his promise to his disciples: 'Going make
disciples of all nations in my name,' and, 'Behold I am with you all days even to the end of the world.' For throughout
the entire world, invisibly present to his disciples, he traveled on the sea of
life, and in the many waters of the nations. This he accomplished by his
invisible and hidden power."
Commentary on Isaiah, The Lord's Command to Baptise
Trans. Bernard H. Cuneo, 1923:
18:2:
"This command seems to be given to the disciples of our Savior. Since they
are messengers of good tidings, they are called messengers, and light ones, to
distinguish them from the apostles of the Jews. Wherefore the prophet addresses
these messengers of good tidings thus: You disciples of Christ, go as the
Savior himself has commanded you; 'Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of
Israel,' and 'Going make disciples of all the nations in my name.'"
34:16: "For he who said to them, 'make disciples of
all the nations in my name,' also forbad them to establish churches
in one and the same place."
History of the Church, Book 3, Chapter 5.
The Last Siege of the Jews after Christ.
2. For the Jews after the ascension of our Saviour,
in addition to their crime against him, had been devising as many plots as they
could against his apostles. First Stephen was stoned to death by them, and
after him James, the son of Zebedee and the brother of John, was beheaded, and
finally James, the first that had obtained the episcopal seat in Jerusalem
after the ascension of our Saviour, died in the manner already described. But
the rest of the apostles, who had been incessantly plotted against with a view
to their destruction, and had been driven out of the land of Judea, went unto all
nations to preach the Gospel, relying upon the power of Christ, who had said to
them, "Go and make disciples of all the nations in my
name."
Theophania
4.7: He
taught them too, not to be perplexed, but to suffer affliction with all their
soul; to preach Him in the ears of all; and not to fear those, who would kill
the mortal body: the soul not being subject to loss of life by men, because it
is incorporeal and immortal. For it is God only, who is able to inflict
punishment and death, at once on both body and soul. It may be observed
therefore, that He taught by these things, that the soul is incorporeal; and
set up, in a few words, the ordinances of (true) philosophy,
In that He
foretold at the outset to His Disciples, that He would make them Fishers of
men; and, that they should eventually, openly, immediately, (and) through His
power, make Disciples of all nations[1].
4.16: For the army of the Romans came soon after, and took the
city, and destroyed the Temple itself by fire. And, of Whom was it, except of
Him who is King of all, God over all, that it was thus said, that "the
King shall send his army, and shall slay those murderers, and shall burn up
their city?" To this very time indeed, the remnants of the conflagration
which took place in various parts of the city, are obvious to the sight of
those who travel thither. But, how those murderers of the Apostles were taken
in the reduction (of the city), and suffered the punishment which they
deserved, it is not necessary we should say, as the things which were done to
them, may readily be found in the record of the Romans by Flavius Josephus47.
After the slaughter of these therefore, and the reduction of the metropolis of
their kingdom, they,--who remained of those servants that had first heard it
said by their Lord, "They who were first called were not worthy; but go ye
out into the ways and paths, and all that ye find, call to the
feast"--performed even the thing commanded. Our Saviour said to them
therefore, after His resurrection, "Go ye and make Disciples of all
nations in my name," And these things He said, who formerly had
commanded: "In the way of the Gentiles go ye not" but (enjoined) that
they should preach to the Jews only. But, when these had abused (their)
Inviters, then He dismissed the servants the second time, and said, "Those
that were called were not worthy. Go ye out into the ways and paths, and all
that ye find call to the feast." And this they fulfilled in deed. They
went out into the whole creation, and they
preached to all nations, the divine and heavenly calling; and "they
collected together as many as they could find, (both) bad and good."
5.17: Which of the magicians is it, who ever projected that which
our Saviour did? But, if one did so project; still he dared not to advance
this. But, if one so dared; still he brought not the matter to effect. He (the
Saviour) said in one word and enouncement to His Disciples, "Go and make disciples of all nations in my name, and teach ye them
everything that I have commanded you[2]."
And the deed He made to follow the word. For thence, every race of the Greeks
and Barbarians became at once, and in a short space of time, (His) Disciples.
5.46: But observe of Him, who availed himself of nothing either
human or mortal, how, in reality, He again put forth the word of God in the
precept, which He gave to these His powerless Disciples, (viz.) "Go ye and make Disciples of all nations!" It is likely
too, His Disciples would thus address their Lord, by way of answer: How can we
do this? …But He who was their Lord solved, by one additional word, the
aggregate of the things of which they doubted, (and) pledged them by saying, ''Ye shall conquer in my name." For
it was not that He commanded them, simply and indiscriminately, to go and make Disciples of all nations; but with this
excellent addition which He delivered, (viz): "In my name."
Since it was by the power of His name that all this came to pass ; as the
Apostle has said, "God has given Him a name, which is superior to every
name: that, at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow which is in heaven, and
which is in earth, and which is beneath the earth." [Phil 2.9]
5.49: I am again compelled to recur to the question of (its) cause,
and to confess, that they (the Disciples) could not otherwise have undertaken
this enterprise, than by a Divine power which exceeds that of man, and by the
assistance of Him who said to them, "Go, and make Disciples of all
nations in my name." And, when He had said this to them, He
attached to it the promise, by which they should be so encouraged, as readily
to give themselves up to the things commanded. For He said to them, "Behold I am with you always, even to the end of the world."
It is stated, moreover, that He breathed into them the Holy Ghost with the
Divine power; (thus) giving them the power to work miracles, saying at one time,
"Receive ye the Holy Ghost;" and at another, commanding them, to
"Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, and cast out Demons:---freely ye have
received, freely give."
Oration in Praise of Constantine
16.8: What
king or prince in any age of the world, what philosopher, legislator, or
prophet, in civilized or barbarous lands, has attained so great a height of
excellence, I say not after death, but while living still, and full of mighty
power, as to fill the ears and tongues of all mankind with the praises of his
name? Surely none save our only Saviour has done this, when, after his victory
over death, he spoke the word to his followers, and fulfilled it by the event,
saying to them, "Go, and make disciples of all
nations in my name." He it was who gave the distinct assurance,
that his gospel must be preached in all the world for a testimony to all
nations, and immediately verified his word: for within a little time the world
itself was filled with his doctrine.
Peter Head, Christology and the Synoptic Problem, 1997, 212f.
The omission of the phrase can be
explained as due to Eusebius’ tendency
to abbreviate, as Eusebius elsewhere often cites the longer form [Contra Marcellum I.1.9; I.1.36; Theologia III. 5.22; EpCaesarea 3 (Socrates, Eccl.Hist 1.8); Psalms 117.1-4; Theophania
4.8]. The shorter reading ‘in my name’
could have been formed as a result of harmonising Luke 24.47 and Mark 16.17
(as seems to occur in Psalms 59.9). Note that Eusebius also alludes to this
passage without using either ‘in my name’ or the full clause [Demonstratio 1.3, 4, 6; Psalms 46.4; 95.3; 144.9; Isaiah
41.10; Theophania 3.4; Theologia III.3]. See further Hubbard, The Matthean Redaction of a Primitive
Apostolic Commissioning, pp. 151-175; Schaberg, The Father, the Son and the
Holy Spirit, pp. 27-29 (who refer to earlier studies).
[1]
Matt, xxviii. 18, to the end. The differences from the Peschito are slight, and
such as to shew, as before, that the Translator having the words of the
Peschito in his mind, rather translated afresh than followed it literally.--All
these headings following are, in the MS. given as Rubrics.
[2]
Matt, xxviii. 19--20. Cited evidently from memory.
