2 Chronicles 30 – Hezekiah sends word to everyone in
Israel and Judah, Ephraim and Manasseh to come “to keep the Passover of the
Lord” (30:1). But they keep the celebration in the second month, a month later
than usual. They could not keep it at
the right time because of the paucity of priests and the failure of the people
to assemble in Jerusalem.
“At the
king’s command, runners were sent throughout Israel and Judah. They appeal to
people, “O people of Israel, return to the Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and
Israel, so that he may turn again to the remnant of you who have escaped from
the hand of the kings of Assyria. . . . Do
not now be stiff-necked as your ancestors were, but yield yourselves to the
Lord and come to his sanctuary. . .For as you return to the Lord, your kindred
and your children will find compassion with their captors, and return to this
land. For the Lord your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away
his face from you, if you return to him” (30:6-9).
The couriers
take this message out, but some are met with scorn and mocked (30:10). Only a
few people from Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun come, but many from Judah come.
They slaughter the Passover lamb, but many of the people “had not purified
themselves. But King Hezehiah prayed for them, and they were allowed to eat the
Passover meal anyway, even though this was contrary to the requirements of the
Law. For Hezekiah said, ‘’May the Lord, who is good, pardon those who decide to
follow the Lord, the God of their ancestors, even though they are not properly
cleansed for the ceremony.’ And the Lord listened to Hezekiah’s prayer and
healed the people” (30:18-20).
They extend the celebration for an
extra seven days (30:23). “There was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the time
of Solomon son of King David of Israel there has been nothing like this in
Jerusalem” (30:26).
Augustine’s Treatise
on the Profit of Believing
32 - But if they
say that we are not even to believe in Christ, unless undoubted reason shall be
given us, they are not Christians. For this is what certain pagans say against
us, foolishly indeed, yet not contrary to, or inconsistent with, themselves. But who can endure that these profess to
belong to Christ, who contend that they are to believe nothing, unless they shall
bring forward to fools most open reason concerning God? But we see that He Himself, so far as that history, which
they themselves believe, teaches, willed nothing before, or more strongly than,
that He should be believed in: whereas they, with whom He had to do, were
not yet qualified to receive the secret things of God. For, for what other
purpose are so great and so many miracles, He Himself also saying, that they
are done for no other cause, than that He may be believed in?
He used to lead fools
by faith, you lead by reason. He used to cry out, that He should be believed
in, you cry out against it. He used to praise such as believe in Him, you blame
them. But unless either He should change water into wine, to omit other
(miracles), if men would follow Him, doing no such, but (only) teaching; either
we must make no account of that saying, "Believe ye God, believe also
Me;" or we must charge him with rashness, who willed not that He should
come into his house, believing that the disease of his servant would depart at
His mere command. Therefore He bringing
to us a medicine such as should heal our utterly corrupt manners, by miracles
procured to Himself authority, by authority obtained Himself belief, by belief
drew together a multitude, by a multitude possessed antiquity, by antiquity
strengthened religion: so that not only the utterly foolish novelty of heretics
dealing deceitfully, but also the inveterate error of the nations opposing with
violence, should be unable on any side to rend it asunder.
The idea that when we are talking about Christ and essential Christian doctrines, we are talking about what we "know" or even what his Twelve "knew" about him is NOT essential. And we can see in Augustine - one of the most famous defenders of the faith - that even in the 4th century, Christians did not claim this.
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