1. Archelaus said to Manes:
Give us a statement now of the doctrines you
promulgate.—Thereupon the man, whose mouth was like an open
sepulchre,2157
began at once
with a word of blasphemy against the
Maker of all things, saying:
The
God of the Old Testament is the
inventor of
evil, who speaks thus
of Himself: “I am a consuming
fire.”
2158
—But the
sagacious
Archelaus completely undid this blasphemy. For he
said: If the
God of the Old Testament, according to your
allegation, calls Himself a
fire, whose son is He who says, “I am
come to send
fire upon the
earth?”
2159
If you find fault with one who says,
“The
Lord killeth and maketh alive,”
2160
why do you honour Peter, who
raised Tabitha
to
life,
2161
but also put
Sapphira to
death?
2162
And if again, you find fault with
the one because He has prepared a
fire,
2163
why do you not find fault with the
other, who says, “Depart from me into
everlasting
fire?”
2164
If you
find fault with Him who says, “I,
God, make
peace, and
create
evil,”
2165
explain to us how
Jesus says, “I came not to send
peace, but a
sword.”
2166
| 2166
Matt. x. 34. Various of the mss. add, ἐπὶ
τὴν γῆν, upon the earth. |
Since both
persons speak in the same terms, one or other of these two things must
follow: namely, either they are both good
2167
| 2167 The
text gives καλοί. Routh seems to
prefer κακοί, evil. |
because they use the same language; or,
if Jesus passes without censure though He speaks in such terms, you
must tell us why you reprehend Him who employs a similar mode of
address in the Old Testament.
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