Commodian, Poem on the Two Peoples 201–240

God left aside, it prefers the age’s luxuries. This the Lord most of all drives his beloved to avoid; he forewarns them to be cut off wholly from the age. If he called them sons, let us stay in his holy things; why do we go outside following adulterous shows? The ancient seducer deceives all through such things: he sends luxuries by which he may ruin the High One’s sons — agony to be sent, going to bloody shows or too obscene ones, for the chaste to know the unchaste. If one had been chaste, unchaste he advances from there, and pleasing, smiling, whom then evil joys tempt. In these luxuries the first people lived and always withdrew unarmed from God’s law. To cleanse them God often sent foster-sons to correct them again when warped from the Highest. They never wanted to take divine words but by their own will always raged, unfit. They slaughtered the just who rebuked them wrongly while they refused to take heaven’s discipline bit. They saw Isaiah; they stone Jeremiah standing up; they behead John; they cut Zechariah’s throat at the altars. And he himself came who had been foretold by them, and he suffers as he willed under our likeness. In whose exit every prophecy was filled. Daniel had said this one was latest to the prophets. He was the one for whom the seers sang from the trumpet, about to come into his own, whom his own would deny. Always unforeseen and stiff-necked kickers, while they spit the form they lose the law’s sacraments. Neither justice nor humble flesh born broke them, nor such goodness or care of the sick from the word. O dutiful religion, O majesty so to be revered, whose medicine so advanced on earth! He cut no one with iron, healed with no plaster, but without torment at once by his own word he healed. Seeing such things the Jews were troubled in mind, who rather were led by envy into jealousy’s zeal, not looking back at the buried prophets’ sayings — that such a man would come who would scatter them. Until the Lord came, the prophets were singing. ****** Cut off from the age’s shows. The foretold One heals by word — and fills every prophecy in his suffering.