7. From the
words of Peter, therefore, which he addressed in
Caesarea to Cornelius the centurion, and those
Gentiles with him, to whom the word of God was first
preached, we can understand what the apostles used
to preach, the nature of their preaching, and
their idea with regard to God.
For
this Cornelius was, it is said, "a devout man,
and one who feared God with all his house, giving much
alms to the people, and praying to God always.
He saw therefore, about the ninth hour of the day, an
angel of God coming in to him, and saying, Thine alms
are come up for a memorial before God. Wherefore send
to Simon, who is called Peter." But when Peter
saw the vision, in which the voice from heaven said to
him, "What God hath cleansed, that call not thou
common," this happened [to teach him] that the
God who had, through the law, distinguished between
clean and unclean, was He who had purified the
Gentiles through the blood of His Son-He whom
also Cornelius worshipped; to whom Peter, coming in,
said, "Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter
of persons: but in every nation, he that feareth Him,
and worketh righteousness, is acceptable to
Him."
He thus clearly
indicates, that He whom Cornelius had previously
feared as God, of whom he had heard through
the law and the prophets, for whose sake
also he used to give alms, is, in truth, God.
The knowledge of the Son was,
however, wanting to him; therefore did [Peter]
add,
"The word, ye know, which was published throughout all
Judea, beginning from Galilee,
after the baptism which John preached,
Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy
Ghost,
and with power; who went about doing good,
and healing all that were oppressed of the devil;
for God was with Him.
And we are witnesses of all those
things which He did both in the land of the Jews and
in Jerusalem; whom they slew, hanging Him on a beam of
wood: Him God raised up the third day, and showed Him
openly; not to all the people, but unto us, witnesses
chosen before of God, who did eat and drink with Him
after the resurrection from the dead. And He commanded us to preach unto the
people, and to testify that it is He which was
ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead. To
Him give all the prophets witness, that, through His
name, every one that believeth in Him does receive
remission of sins."
The apostles, therefore, did preach the Son
of God, of whom men were ignorant; and His
advent, to those who had been already instructed as
to God; but they did not bring in another god. For
if Peter had known any such thing, he would have
preached freely to the Gentiles, that the God of the
Jews was indeed one, but the God of the Christians
another; and all of them, doubtless, being
awe-struck because of the vision of the angel,
would have believed whatever he told them.
But it is
evident from Peter's words that he did indeed still
retain the God who was already known to them;
but he also bare witness to
them that Jesus Christ was the Son of
God, the Judge of quick and dead, into
whom he did also command them to be baptized
for the remission of sins;
and
not this alone, but he witnessed that Jesus
was Himself the Son of God,
who also, having been anointed with the Holy Spirit,
is called Jesus Christ.
And He is the
same being that was born of Mary, as
the testimony of Peter implies. Can it really be, that
Peter was not at that time as yet in possession of the
perfect knowledge which these men discovered
afterwards? According to them, therefore, Peter was
imperfect, and the rest of the apostles were
imperfect; and so it would be fitting that they,
coming to life again, should become disciples of these
men, in order that they too might be made perfect. But
this is truly ridiculous. These men, in fact, are
proved to be not disciples of the apostles,
but of their own wicked notions. To this cause also
are due the various opinions which exist among them,
inasmuch as each one adopted error just as he was
capable [of embracing it]. But the Church throughout
all the world, having its origin from the apostles, perseveres
in one and the same opinion with regard to God and His
Son.
