The Ancient Witnesses

122 • The Ancient Witnesses: A Journey to Discover Our Sacred Roots

“Why does he call them foolish?” asked Mentor. “They were falling back into their old ways—trying to earn their salvation by the Law.” “Anything more?” asked Mentor. Cesar borrowed Joseph’s Bible, turned to Galatians and began skimming chapter 3. “There’s a lot here about faith and the law…” said Cesar, “but basically Paul is saying that the Scriptures foretold that the Gentiles would be justified by their faith in God.” Cesar then read this verse, aloud: The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.” 8 “Paul is quoting the Old Testament here,” concluded Cesar, “so, Genesis 3:15 is not the only verse that foretells the Gospel.” “Truly,” said Mentor, “and it is through the promise of God to Abram that we become the children of Abraham, not through the flesh or lineage of Abraham. Now you are ready to listen to the witnesses as they narrate the Scriptures.” The Promise and the Patriarchs Mentor led us out of the Crux and into the reading room. “We have chosen these for you,” he explained, pointing to several open books on the table. “Please return to the Crux after your lessons to testify to what you have seen.” “Can you tell us about the historical setting of these lessons?” asked Cesar.

8 Gal. 3:8, quoting Gen. 12:3.