Hugo Grotius · 92 of 132

SECT. XVII. Jesus proved to be the Messiah, from those things that were predicted of the Messiah.

AND these things do indeed prove, as was before said, that the Messiah did come so many ages since; to which I add, that he was no other than Jesus; for all others, who were willing to have themselves thought the Messiah, or were really thought so, left no sect in which that opinion continued. None now profess themselves to be followers of Herod, or Judas Gaulonita, or of Barchochebas, who, in the times of Adrian, declared himself to be the Messiah, and deceived many learned men. But there have been such as owned Jesus, ever since be was upon earth, to this very day, and they a great many, not in one country, but all the world over. I might here allege many other things, formerly predicted, or believed of the Messiah, which we believe to have been completed in Jesus, and which were not so much as affirmed of any other; such as these, that he was of the seed of David; that he was born of a virgin; that this thing was discovered from heaven, to him who had married that virgin, and would not keep her in marriage because she was big with child by another; that he was born in Bethlehem; that he began to spread his doctrine first in Galilee; that he healed all kinds of diseases; made the blind to see, and the lame to walk: but I shall content myself with one, the effects of which remains to this day; and is manifest from the prophecies of David, Isaiah, Zechariah, and Hosea, viz. that the Messiah was to be the instructor of all nations; that the worship of false gods should be overthrown by him; and that he should bring a vast multitude of strangers to the worship of one God. Before the coming of Jesus, almost the whole world was subject to false worship: which began to vanish afterwards by degrees, and not only particular persons, but whole nations and kings, were converted to the worship of one God. These things are not owing to the Jewish rabbles, but to the disciples of Jesus and their successors. Thus they were made the people of God who were not so before, and that prediction of Jacob, Gen. xlix. was fulfilled, that before the civil power was taken from the posterity of Judah, Shiloh should come, whom the Chaldee and other interpreters explain to be the Messiah, whom foreign nations also were to obey.