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.