As a further proof of your^[1] ignorance of the Scripture, I am going to quote another psalm, dedicated to David by the Holy Spirit, which you erroneously think refers to your king Solomon but which in reality refers to Christ. One cause of your error is that you are misled by the false interpretation of equivocal terms. For when the law of God is called a blameless law,^[2] you do not understand it as applying to the law that was to come after Moses but to the Mosaic law itself, even though God had promised to establish a new law and a new covenant. And when the psalm says, Give to the king your judgment, O God, you claim that the words were spoken of Solomon because he was a king, whereas the words clearly proclaim that they were spoken of the eternal King, that is, Christ. I prove from all the Scriptures that Christ is spoken of as a king, and a priest, and God, and Lord, and an angel, and a man, and a leader, and a stone, and a begotten son and as one who at first endured suffering, then ascended into heaven, and as returning to earth with glory and having the eternal kingdom.

And I support this^[1] from Psalm 71 [LXX], which says, Give to the king your judgment, O God; and your justice to the king’s son, to judge your people with justice, and your poor with judgment. For clearly the psalm, which has been ascribed to Solomon, prophesies of Christ.

As this psalm is addressed to Solomon, the first verse of the psalm must be referred to him, and all the rest to the son of Solomon, not Rehoboam, who was king of Israel after him, but him that was of his seed according to the flesh, the Christ of God; for all who are acquainted with the holy Scriptures will agree that it is impossible to connect what is said in this psalm with Solomon or his successors, because of what they reveal about Christ. No, how is it possible to apply to Solomon, or his son Rehoboam, the burden of the whole psalm?—for instance, He shall rule from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth.^[1] And He shall remain as long as the sun, and before the moon for ever,^[2] and other similar statements. Yet the words at the beginning of the psalm are at once seen to apply to Solomon, which say, O God, you will give judgment to the king, And the addition, And your justice to the king’s son, to the Son of Solomon, not his firstborn who succeeded him in the kingdom (for he only ruled the Jewish nation seventeen years, being a wicked king), nor any of the successors of Rehoboam, but only to one of the seed of David, who could thus be called the son both of David and Solomon. And this is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. For his kingdom and its throne will stand as long as the sun. And he alone of people, as the Word of God, existed before the moon and the creation of the world, and he alone came down like dew from heaven on all the earth; and it was said in our quotation a little above, that he had risen on all people and that his justice would remain even until the consummation of life, which is called the removal of the moon. And our Savior’s power is supreme from the eastern sea to the west, beginning its activity at the river, which is either the sacrament of baptism, or from Jordan, where he first appeared to benefit humankind. From that time his kingdom has spread and extended through the whole world.

So that now, concerning the things to be promised to the people through the kingdom of Zerubbabel,^[1] who was assigned for this through the divine judgment, it was not at all inappropriate for the prophet, speaking, to say, he comes righteous and saving, so that he might show that he is present with them and that he has been chosen by God for the kingship in order to do these things. It says that those very things, therefore, have successively happened concerning the people through him. But let these things suffice for the most accurate teaching. The prophet is speaking concerning Zerubbabel and prophesying present things concerning him, if also as a prophet himself he had a certain vision concerning things to come, he adds:

He shall govern the waters from sea to sea

And from the River to the ends of the earth. This also has apparently been said hyperbolically, that he will prevail over many enemies and that he will occupy much territory, having given it for habitation to the Jews. The seventy-first [seventy-second] psalm by the blessed David is similar; in the form of a prayer it has a figure of the prosperity of Solomon, where it says, May he live while the sun endures, and as long as the moon throughout all generations! May he have dominion from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.^[1] Is it not obvious that these things are said hyperbolically? ^[2]

Nor is it strange that they should suffer the drought of unbelief, whom the Lord deprived of the fertilizing shower of prophecy, saying, I will command my clouds that they rain not on that vineyard.^[1] For there is a health-giving shower of salutary grace, as David also said: He came down like rain on a fleece and like drops that fall on the earth. The divine Scriptures promised us this rain on the whole earth, to water the world with the dew of the divine Spirit at the coming of the Savior. The Lord, then, has now come, and the rain has come; the Lord has come bringing the heavenly drops with him, and so now we drink, who before were thirsty, and with an interior draft drink in that divine Spirit.

And the oracle in the Psalms, which says about Christ, There shall rise in his days justice and peace, is in agreement with this.^[1] And I think that is why he is called Prince of Peace in the prophecy that I quoted before this. And I would ask you to notice that the prophet we are considering says at the outset that the Lord will come from heaven and that the subject of the prophecy will only pasture his flock after his birth at Bethlehem. And the Evangelist, whose words I have cited, furnishes the evidence that this was the case with regard to our Lord and Savior.

Therefore, today the Lord was born according to the flesh in such secret silence that his generation was thoroughly ignorant of his birth. For the world did not know that he was born outside the knowledge of his father and that he was conceived outside the order of nature. For Joseph took as his son him whom he did not beget, and Mary gave birth to him whom she did not create in the ordinary manner of sexual intercourse. Thus the Lord was born in such a way that nobody would suspect or believe or perceive what his origin would be. How would they believe that this would happen when they scarcely believe what happened afterwards? As to the fact that the Savior would descend hiddenly and secretly into the virgin, the prophet David had already previously attested to that when he said, He came down like rain on the fleece. For what takes place so silently, without a sound, as when rain is poured onto a fleece of wool? It doesn’t strike anybody’s ears with its sound; it doesn’t splash anyone’s body with the wetness of the dew bouncing off the flece, but without disturbing anyone, the fleece draws into itself in its entire body all the rain being poured through its many parts because it does not know any division into one channel, but rather offers many channels owing to its dense softness. It seems to be closed owing to its density, but is in truth absorbent owing to its fineness.

But the testimonies of the entire Scripture proclaim with one voice that the church, with which the sect of Donatus^[1] is not in communion, is indeed spread throughout the entire world. In your seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed,^[2] the law of God said. From the rising of the sun even to the going down, there is offered to my name a clean offering, for my name is great among the Gentiles,^[3] said God through the prophet. He shall rule from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth, God said in the psalm. Bringing forth fruit and growing in the whole world,^[4] God said through the apostle.

Indeed, even in Solomon there appeared some image of the future event, in that he built the temple, and had peace according to his name (for Solomon means pacific),^[1] and in the beginning of his reign was wonderfully praiseworthy; but while, as a shadow of him that should come, he foreshowed Christ our Lord, he did not also in his own person resemble him. Whence some things concerning him are so written as if they were prophesied of himself, while the Holy Scripture, prophesying even by events, somehow delineates in him the figure of things to come. For, besides the books of divine history, in which his reign is narrated, the 72nd Psalm (LXX) also is inscribed in the title with his name, in which so many things are said which cannot at all apply to him, but which apply to the Lord Christ with such evident fitness as makes it quite apparent that in the one the figure is in some way shadowed forth, but in the other the truth itself is presented. For it is known within what bounds the kingdom of Solomon was enclosed; and yet in that psalm, not to speak of other things, we read, He shall have dominion from sea even to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth, which we see fulfilled in Christ. Truly he took the beginning of his reigning from the river where John baptized; for, when pointed out by him, he began to be acknowledged by the disciples, who called him not only Master, but also Lord.

Where? At the river Jordan. That, you see, is where Christ’s work of teaching began. It was there that the baptism of Christ that was to come was commended to us, because the previous kind of baptism was received there, and the one preparing the way,^[1] and saying, Prepare a way for the Lord, make straight his paths.^[2] The Lord, you see, wished to be baptized by the servant, so that those who are baptized by the Lord might appreciate what it is they receive. So he began from the very place where prophecy had very properly preceded him: He will have dominion from sea to sea, and from the river to the limits of the whole wide world. At the very river where Christ began to have dominion, John saw Christ, recognized him, bore witness to him.

I hear that you^[1] often repeat and call attention to the passage in the Gospel where it is written that the seventy disciples went back from the Lord and were left to their own choice in their evil and impious separation; and to the twelve who stayed with him he said, Will you go away also?^[2] You fail to notice that the church then was just beginning to put forth young shoots and that as yet there was no fulfillment of that prophecy: And all the kings of the earth shall adore him; all nations shall serve him. Surely, the more complete the fulfillment, the greater the authority exercised by the church, not only to invite but to compel people to goodness. This is what the Lord wished to convey by that incident, for, in spite of possessing full power, he chose, instead, to commend humility. He showed this quite clearly in the parable of the wedding feast, in which, after the invited guests had been notified and had refused to come, the servant was told, Go out into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in the poor and the feeble and the blind and the lame. And the servant said to his lord, It is done as you have commanded and yet there is room. And the lord said to the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges and compel them to come in that my house may be filled.^[3]

This and many similar prophecies,^[1] which it would take too long to quote, would surely impress the mind of the inquirer. He would see these very kings of the earth now happily subdued by Christ, and all nations serving him. He would also hear the words of the psalm in which this was predicted very long ago: All the kings of the earth shall bow down to him; all nations shall serve him. And if he were to read the whole of that psalm, which is figuratively applied to Solomon, he would find that Christ is the true King of peace, for Solomon means peaceful; and he would find many things in the psalm applicable to Christ, which have no reference at all to the literal King Solomon.

But we on our side do not rely on any human power, although, no doubt, it would be much more honorable to rely on the emperors than to rely on Circumcellions^[1] and to rely on laws than to rely on rioting, but we recall what is written: Cursed be everyone who puts his hope in man.^[2] So, then, if you want to know on whom we rely, think of him whom the prophet foretold, saying, All the kings of the earth shall adore him; all nations shall serve him. That is why we make use of this power of the church that the Lord both promised and gave to it.

Therefore, let them [Arians] say that the Father and the Son are not two lord gods but their one Lord God, if they wish to hold to the truth of the faith and are unwilling to be found in rebellion against the commandments of the law and the gospel. For thus they will be able to preserve equally the understanding and the obligatory force of that text where it is said, The Lord your God you shall adore, and him alone shall you serve.^[1] Nor is it right for anyone to adore the Father as God in such a way that he does not adore the Son as God, for indeed it has been written about the Son in Deuteronomy: Praise, O heavens, his people; worship him, all you gods.^[2] Concerning him as well, the blessed David says in the psalms, May all kings fall down before him, all nations give him service.

We are taught, therefore, to be of good cheer when we are afflicted in the world. We learn that the reason for being of good cheer is this: the world has been conquered and, of course, subjected to him who conquered it. For this reason, all the nations, set free from those who formerly controlled them, serve him, because he delivered the poor from the mighty through his own passion, and the needy who had no helper.

Besides the generally known fact that the riches of the East, that is to say, its strength and resources, usually consist of gold and spices, it is certainly true of the Creator that he makes gold the riches of the other nations also. Thus he says by Zechariah, And Judah shall also fight at Jerusalem and shall gather together all the wealth of the nations round about, gold and silver.^[1] Moreover, respecting that gift of gold, David also says, And there shall be given to him of the gold of Arabia; and again, The kings of Arabia and Saba shall offer to him gifts.^[2] For the East generally regarded the magi as kings; and Damascus was anciently deemed to belong to Arabia, before it was transferred to Syrophoenicia on the division of the Syrias [by Rome]. Its riches Christ then received, when he received the tokens thereof in the gold and spices; while the spoils of Samaria were the magi themselves. The magi discovered him and honored him with their gifts. On bended knee they adored him as their God and King. Through the witness of the star that led them on their way and guided them, they became the spoils of Samaria, that is to say, of idolatry, because, as it is easy enough to see, they believed in Christ. He^[3] designated idolatry under the name of Samaria, as that city was shameful for its idolatry, through which it had then revolted from God from the days of King Jeroboam. Nor is this an unusual manner for the Creator [in his Scriptures] figuratively to employ names of places as a metaphor derived from the analogy of their sins. Thus he calls the chief people of the Jews rulers of Sodom, and the nation itself people of Gomorrah.^[4]

While they remained silent, I continued, My friends, when Scripture through David speaks of Christ, it does not say ‘in his seed’ shall the Gentiles be blessed, but ‘in him.’ Here are the words: ‘His name shall endure forever; it shall rise above the sun; and all nations shall be blessed in him.’ But if all nations are blessed in Christ, and we who are from all nations believe in him, then he is the Christ, and we are they who are blessed through him. It is written that God once allowed the sun to be worshiped,^[1] and yet you cannot discover anyone who ever suffered death because of his faith in the sun. But you can find people of every nationality who for the name of Jesus have suffered, and still suffer, all kinds of torments rather than deny their faith in him. For his word of truth and wisdom is more blazing and bright than the might of the sun, and it penetrates the very depths of the heart and mind. Thus Scripture says, ‘His name shall arise above the sun.’ And Zachariah affirms, ‘The East is his name.’^[2] And again, ‘They shall mourn tribe by tribe.’^[3]

But he who is before the heavens, which, according to you,^[1] are also before time, is at the same time before the ages. He is not only before the ages but before all generations that have ever existed. Why do you limit divine and infinite things by those that are perishable, earthly and narrow? Paul knows nothing in Christ except the eternity of the ages. Wisdom states that It^[2] is not after something but before all things. In your opinion, the periods of time have been determined from the sun and the moon. But David points out that Christ remains before the sun when he says, Before the sun [is] his name. And in order that you may not conclude that the things of God had their beginning with the origin of the world, the same one said, And before the moon [are] the generations of generations.^[3] Periods of time are here regarded as of no importance by such outstanding men who were worthy of the Spirit of prophecy, and the human mind has not been afforded any opportunity for reaching into the ages before the birth that transcends the eternal years. Let the faith remain within the limits of the God-fearing teaching, so that the Lord Jesus Christ is the only-begotten God and that he has been born in order that we may confess the perfect birth, and let it not forget that he is eternal when venerating his divinity.

And if, as David says in the seventy-first [LXX] psalm, His name remains before the sun and before the moon, from one generation to another,^[1] how did he receive what he always had, even before he now received it? Or how is he exalted, being before his exaltation the Most High? Or how did he receive the right of being worshiped, who before he now received it, was always worshiped? It is not an obscure saying but a divine mystery. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God; but for our sakes afterwards the Word was made flesh.^[2] And the term in question, highly exalted, does not signify that the essence of the Word was exalted, for he always existed and is equal to God,^[3] but the exaltation is of the human nature.

Let us say again: Blessed be God, who alone does wonderful things, who does all things and transforms them. Before yesterday you were captives, but now you are free and citizens of the church; lately you lived in the shame of your sins, but now you live in freedom and justice. You are not only free, but also holy; not only holy, but also just; not only just, but also children; not only children, but also heirs; not only heirs, but also brothers of Christ; not only brothers of Christ, but also joint heirs; not only joint heirs, but also members; not only members, but also the temple; not only the temple, but also instruments of the Spirit.

So let the blind run to Christ and by receiving their sight be enlightened. Christ, after all, is light in the world, even among the worst of people. Divine miracles were performed, but no one has performed miracles from the beginning of the human race, except the one to whom Scripture says, Who alone performs marvels. Why does it say who alone performs marvels? Surely, because when he wishes to perform them, he has no need of any human beings. But when a human being performs them, he does need God. He, Christ, performed miracles alone. Why? Because the Son is God in the Trinity, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God of course, who alone performs marvels.

But whoever listens with deeper attention to Christ saying, if I had not done in them^[1] the works that no other man has done^[2] (but even if the Father and the Holy Spirit have done these, no other one has done [them] because there is one substance of the whole Trinity), he will find that he himself did [them] if ever any man of God did any such thing. For indeed, he can in himself do all things by himself; but no one can do anything without him. For Christ together with the Father and the Holy Spirit are not three gods but the one God about whom it has been written, Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who alone does wonderful things. Therefore, no other individual has done whatever works he has done in them, because whatever another person has done, any one of them has done it by his doing. But he did these things himself, not by their doing.

The marvelous deeds and miracles performed almost in our own day by the apostolic and most upright man, Emilian the priest,^[1] are so new that they urge us to relate them; yet, at the same time, so vast in scope that to recount them is frightening. How can the pen of a man who is bound to earthly things worthily reproduce the acts of a heavenly man, who, when compared with past ages, shines like the brightest star; who, when compared with the present, stands above all in his inimitable virtue? In my opinion, not even if the Tullian springs^[2] should flow and come bounding forth in copious veins of eloquence, and multiplicity of thoughts should furnish an abundant supply of words, could all those works of grace be revealed that Christ, who alone does wondrous deeds, has performed and still is performing through him, from the time he began to despise the world until he departed from his body and from the world. LIFE OF ST.