Commodian, Poem on the Two Peoples 81–120
I hope he is not guilty who obeys Caesar’s spoken orders; but the proud opposite destroys his own life. Sometimes what is mine — I who erred before — I show: the right road to you who still wander empty. You, however, choose, pleasing your own judgment: who wants poison, or the sweet cups of life! Good and evil is created in this nature so that after the fates a man may be proven who is worthy of God. Approach already now, whoever you are, to know lasting things: learn who God is, or under whose name he is present! There is God almighty, one, made from his own self, whom below you will find great and himself humble. He was set in the Word, known to himself alone, who is called Father and Son and Holy Spirit. But from when he decided to compose the world with signs… he is immense light alone; where face or eyes or mouth or limbs are noted, thence with his fist to close the circle of the world. Yet when he willed it to be known of himself who he was, from so great a divinity he made himself able to be seen. There are those to whom he appeared in fire, speaking with a voice; he was taken into flesh, whom no region was holding. This is God almighty, Lord of his own making. ****** One almighty God — Word, Father, Son, Spirit — chose to be seen; even taken into flesh.
Latin
Spero, reus non est, qui Caesaris dictos obaudit, Contrarius autem perdit sua<m> uita<m> superbus. Interdum quod meum est, qui prius erraui, demonstro Rectum iter uobis, qui adhuc erratis inanes. Uos tamen eligite, arbitrio uestro placentes, Quis uelit uenenum aut suauia pocula uitae! Bonum et malum est in ista natura creatum Ut homo post fata probetur quis Deo dignus. Adgredere iam nunc, quisquis es, perennia nosse: Disce, Deus qui sit uel cuius nomine adsit! Est Deus omnipotens, unus, a semetipso creatus, Quem infra reperies magnum et humilem ipsum. Is erat in uerbo positus, sibi solo notatus, Qui pater et filius dicitur et spiritus sanctus. Sed ex quo decreuit mundum componere signis, Ignem interposuit metuendum angelis ipsis. Quos tamen distribuit minoris potentiae factos, Ut regerent caelos et terram et subdita terrae. Hunc ergo nec ipsi nuntii dinoscere possunt, Qualis sit aut quantus, nisi quod praecepta sequuntur. Est honor absconsus nobis et angelis ipsis, Relucet immensa super caelos et sine fine; Aureum est totum, quod est quasi flammea uirtus. Illic Dei numen est tantum sine cognita forma, Illa sunt secreta solo Deo nota caelorum. Haec gloria Dei est unica super angelos omnes, Hoc Deus est lucis aeternae, hoc spiritus aeui. In primitiua sua qualis sit, a nullo uidetur, Detransfiguratur, sicut uult ostendere sese. Praebet se uisibilem angelis iuxta formam eorum Et homini fit homo, ceterum Deus urbo probat<ur>. Idcirco nec poterit tanti Dei forma dinosci; Quidquid est, unum est, immenso lumine solus; Ubi facies aut oculi aut os aut membra notantur, Inde pugillo suo concludere circulum orbis. At tamen cum uoluit sciri de se ipso qui esset, Numine de tanto fecit se uideri capacem. Sunt quibus in ignem apparuit uoce locutus; Sumptus est in carnem, quem regio nulla capebat. Hic Deus omnipotens, Dominus suae conditionis,