Allowance of Sacrifice for a Time.
285.
When meantime Moses, that faithful and wise steward, perceived that the vice of sacrificing to idols had been deeply ingrained into the people from their association with the Egyptians,
and that the root of this evil could not be extracted from them,
286.
he allowed them indeed to sacrifice, but permitted it to be done only to God,
that by any means he might cut off one half of the deeply ingrained evil,
leaving the other half to be corrected by another, and at a future time;
by Him, namely, concerning whom he said himself,
287.
'A prophet shall the Lord your God raise unto you,
whom you shall hear even as myself, according to all things which He shall say to you.
288.
Whosoever shall not hear that prophet, his soul shall be cut off from his people.
The Holy Place.
289.
In addition to these things, he also appointed a place in which alone it should be lawful to them to sacrifice to God.
290.
And all this was arranged with this view, that when the fitting time should come,
and they should learn by means of the Prophet that God desires mercy and not sacrifice,
they might see Him who should teach them that the place chosen of God,
in which it was suitable that victims should be offered to God, is his Wisdom;
291.
and that on the other hand they might hear that this place, which seemed chosen for a time, often harassed as it had been by hostile invasions and plunderings, was at last to be wholly destroyed.
292.
And in order to impress this upon them, even before the coming of the true Prophet,
who was to reject at once the sacrifices and the place,
it was often plundered by enemies and burnt with fire,
and the people carried into captivity among foreign nations,
and then brought back when they betook themselves to the mercy of God;
293.
that by these things they might be taught that a people who offer sacrifices are driven away and delivered up into the hands of the enemy,
but they who do mercy and righteousness
are without sacrifices freed from captivity, and restored to their native land.
294.
But it fell out that very few understood this;
for the greater number, though they could perceive and observe these things, yet were held by the irrational opinion of the vulgar:
for right opinion with liberty is the prerogative of a few.
Sins of the Israelites.
295.
Moses, then, having arranged these things, and having set over the people one Auses (Joshua) to bring them to the land of their fathers, himself by the command of the living God went up to a certain mountain, and there died.
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296.
Yet such was the manner of his death, that till this day no one has found his burial-place.
297.
When, therefore, the people reached their fathers' land, by the providence of God,
at their first onset the inhabitants of wicked races are routed,
and they enter upon their paternal inheritance, which was distributed among them by lot.
298.
For some time thereafter they were ruled not by kings, but judges,
and remained in a somewhat peaceful condition.
299.
Yet when they sought for themselves tyrants rather than kings, then also with regal ambition they erected a temple in the place which had been appointed to them for prayer;
and thus, through a succession of wicked kings, the people fell away to greater and still greater impiety.
Baptism Instituted in Place of Sacrifices.
300.
Yet when the time began to draw near, that what was wanting in the Mosaic institutions should be supplied, as we have said,
and that the Prophet should appear,
of whom he had foretold that He should warn them by the mercy of God to cease from sacrificing;
lest haply they might suppose that on the cessation of sacrifice there was no remission of sins for them,
The Book of Recognitions CHAPTER ELEVEN
Divisions 301-330
RECOGNITIONS 1
301.
He instituted baptism by water among them,
in which they might be absolved from all their sins on the invocation of His name,
and for the future, following a perfect life, they might abide in immortality,
being purified not by the blood of beasts, yet by the purification of the Wisdom of God.
302.
Subsequently also an evident proof of this great mystery is supplied in the fact,
that every one who, believing in this Prophet who had been foretold by Moses,
is baptized in His name, shall be kept unhurt from the destruction of war which impends over the unbelieving nation, and the place itself;
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303.
but that those who do not believe shall be made exiles from their place and kingdom,
that even against their will they may understand and obey the will of God.
Advent of the True Prophet.
304.
These things therefore having been fore-arranged, He who was expected comes,
bringing signs and miracles as His credentials by which He should be made manifest.
305.
Yet not even so did the people believe,
though they had been trained during so many ages to the belief of these things.
306.
And not only did they not believe, but they added blasphemy to unbelief,
saying that He was a gluttonous man and a belly-slave,
and that He was actuated by a demon, even He who had come for their salvation.
307.
To such an extent does wickedness prevail by the agency of evil ones;
so that, but for the Wisdom of God assisting those who love the truth,
almost all would have been involved in impious delusion.
308.
Therefore He chose us twelve, the first who believed in Him, whom He named apostles;
and afterwards other 72 most approved disciples,
that, at least in this way recognising the pattern of Moses, Numbers 11:16
the multitude might believe that this is He of whom Moses foretold, the Prophet that was to come.
Deuteronomy 18:15
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