Chapter LXXXII.—The prophetical gifts
of the Jews were transferred to the Christians.
“For the prophetical gifts remain with us, even
to the present time. And hence you ought to understand that [the gifts]
formerly among your nation have been transferred to us. And just as there
were false prophets contemporaneous with your holy prophets, so are there
now many false teachers amongst us, of whom our Lord forewarned us to
beware; so that in no respect are we deficient, since we know that He
foreknew all that would happen to us after His resurrection from the dead
and ascension to heaven. For He said we would be put to death, and hated
for His name’s sake; and that many false prophets and false Christs
would appear in His name, and deceive many: and so has it come about. For
many have taught godless, blasphemous, and unholy doctrines, forging them
in His name; have taught, too, and even yet are teaching, those things
which proceed from the unclean spirit of the devil, and which were put
into their hearts. Therefore we are most anxious that you be persuaded
not to be misled by such persons, since we know that every one who can
speak the truth, and yet speaks it not, shall be judged by God, as God
testified by Ezekiel, when He said, ‘I have made thee a watchman to
the house of Judah. If the sinner sin, and thou warn him not, he himself
shall die in his sin; but his blood will I require at thine hand. But if
thou warn him, thou shalt be innocent.’22742274 And on this account we are, through fear, very
earnest in desiring to converse [with men] according to the Scriptures,
but not from love of money, or of glory, or of pleasure. For no man can
convict us of any of these [vices]. No more do we wish to live like the
rulers of your people, whom God reproaches when He says, ‘Your
rulers are companions of thieves, lovers of bribes, followers of the
rewards.’22752275 Now, if you know certain
amongst us to be of this sort, do not for their sakes blaspheme the
Scriptures and Christ, and do not assiduously strive to give falsified
interpretations.
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