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But in that whole time after they returned from Babylon, after
Malachi, Haggai, and Zechariah, who then prophesied, and Ezra,
they had no prophets down to the time of the Saviour's advent except
another Zechariah, the father of John, and Elisabeth his wife,
when the nativity of Christ was already close at hand; and when He
was already born, Simeon the aged, and Anna a widow, and now very
old; and, last of all, John himself, who, being a young man, did
not predict that Christ, now a young man, was to come, but by
prophetic knowledge pointed Him out though unknown; for which reason
the Lord Himself says, "The law and the prophets were until
John." But the prophesying of these five is made known to us in the
gospel, where the virgin mother of our Lord herself is also found to
have prophesied before John. But this prophecy of theirs the wicked
Jews do not receive; but those innumerable persons received it who
from them believed the gospel. For then truly Israel was divided in
two, by that division which was foretold by Samuel the prophet to king
Saul as immutable. But even the reprobate Jews hold Malachi,
Haggai, Zechariah, and Ezra as the last received into canonical
authority. For there are also writings of these, as of others, who
being but a very few in the great multitude of prophets, have written
those books which have obtained canonical authority, of whose
predictions it seems good to me to put in this work some which pertain
to Christ and His Church; and this, by the Lord's help, shall be
done more conveniently in the following book, that we may not further
burden this one, which is already too long.
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