246.犹太民族就是这个样子。犹太民族因拥有圣言而被主比作财主，穿着紫色细麻衣，每日奢华宴乐，却未从圣言获得足够的真理和良善来施舍给躺在门口、满身生疮的穷人拉撒路。这个民族不仅未从圣言得到任何真理，反而从中吸收大量虚假，以致最后他们一个真理也看不见。因为虚假不仅遮住真理之光，还抹掉并逐出它们。正因如此，犹太人不承认弥赛亚，尽管所有先知都预言了祂的到来。
246. 猶太民族就是如此。因為猶太民族擁有聖言, 於是被主比作財主, 穿著紫色細麻衣, 每日奢華宴樂, 卻未從聖言中獲得足夠的真理和良善來施捨給貧困的,滿身生瘡的拉撒路。這個民族不僅未從聖言中獲得任何真理, 反而吸收了大量的偽謬, 最後他們不能看見任何真理, 因為偽謬不只使真理失色, 甚至會塗抹並排擠真理。因著這個緣由, 猶太人不承認彌賽亞, 儘管全部的先知書都已預言祂的降臨。
246. The Jewish nation used to be like this. Because it possessed the Word, the Lord compared it to a rich man who wore purple and fine linen and gloriously indulged himself every day, but did not get enough truth or good out of the Word even to show compassion to poor Lazarus, covered with sores, who was lying in front of his door [Luke 16:19-20]. The members of that nation not only failed to assimilate any truths from the Word, but they assimilated falsities in such quantities that in the long run nothing true was apparent to them. Falsities do not simply cover up truths; they obliterate and annihilate them. This was why the Jews did not acknowledge the Messiah even though all the prophets had announced his coming.
246. The Jewish people was like this, and this is why, since it possessed the Word, the Lord likened it to a rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen and feasted magnificently every day, yet had not drawn from the Word even so much truth and good as to be sorry for Lazarus, the poor man, who lay before his door covered in sores. That people had not only failed to make any truths from the Word its own, but had absorbed such vast quantities of falsities that finally they could not see any truth; for falsities do not merely eclipse truths, but wipe them out and drive them away. That was why they did not recognise the Messiah, although all the prophets had foretold His coming.
246. Such was the Jewish nation; and therefore, because it had the Word, it was likened by the Lord to a rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day, and yet did not gain enough truth and good from the Word to have pity upon poor Lazarus, who lay at his door full of sores. Not only did that nation appropriate no truths from the Word, it drew from it falsities in such abundance, that finally not a single truth could be seen by them; for through falsities truths are not merely covered, they are even obliterated and cast out. For this reason the Jews did not acknowledge the Messiah, although all the prophets had foretold His coming.
246. Such was the Jewish nation. Therefore, because it possessed the Word, it was likened by the Lord to a rich man, clothed in purple and fine linen, who fared sumptuously every day. Yet he had derived from the Word not even so much good and truth as to show pity to the beggar Lazarus, who lay at his gate, full of sores. That people not only failed to acquire for themselves any truths from the Word, but they acquired falsities in such abundance that at length they could not see any truth; for truths are not only covered over but also obliterated and rejected by falsities. Consequently, the Jews did not acknowledge the Messiah, although all the Prophets had foretold His Advent.
246. Talis fuit Gens Judaica, quare illa, quia possidebat Verbum, a Domino assimilabatur Diviti, qui indutus erat purpura et bysso, et splendide vivebat quotidie, et usque ex Verbo ne quidem tantum veri et boni hauserat, ut misereretur pauperis Lazari, ante ostium ejus ulcerosi 1 jacentis; illa Gens non solum non aliqua vera ex Verbo appropriavit sibi, sed falsa in tali copia, ut tandem illis non appareret aliquod verum; nam vera per falsa non modo obteguntur, sed etiam obliterantur et rejiciuntur; inde erat, quod nec agnoverint Messiam, tametsi omnes Prophetae Ipsius Adventum annuntiaverant.
Footnotes:
1. Prima editio: ulcerosus.