The Institution of Christian Religion

Now if this do not satisfy the Jews, that Jehovah is so oft presented in the person of an Angel, I see not with ⟨p. 34⟩what cavillations they can mock it out. It is said that the Angel appeared to the holy fathers: and the same Angel challengeth to himself the name of the eternal God.¹ If any take exception and say, that this is spoken in respect of the Person that he representeth: this knot is not thus loosed.² For being a servant he would not suffer Sacrifice to be offered to him and take from God his due honour. But the Angel refusing to eat bread, commandeth Sacrifice to be offered to Jehovah. And then he proveth that himself in deed was the same Jehovah, and therefore Manoah and his wife by this token did gather, that they had seen not an only Angel but God. And thence came it that he said: we shall dye because we have seen God. And when his wife answereth, if Jehovah would have slain us, he would not have received Sacrifice at our hands: in this she doeth confess that he was God which before was called the Angel. Beside this, the answer of the Angel himself taketh away all doubt of it, saying: why doest thou ask me of my name, which is marvellous? So much the more detestable was the wickedness of Seruetto, when he affirmed that God never appeared to Abraham and the other fathers, but that an Angel was worshipped in place of him. But truly and wisely have the true teaching doctors of the Church expounded, that the same principal Angel was the word of God, which then as aforehand began to execute the office of Mediator. For though he was not yet clothed with flesh, yet he came down as a mean between God and men, to come more familiarly to the faithful. Therefore his nigh communicating himself made him to be called an Angel: yet still in the mean time he retained that which was his own, to be the God of unspeakable glory.³ The same thing meaneth Oseas, which after he had recited the wrestling of Jacob with the Angel, sayeth: Jehovah the God of hosts, Jehovah, worthy of memory is his name. Here again Seruetto carpeth, that God did bear the person of an Angel. As though the Prophet did not confirm that which Moses had said: why doest thou ask me of my name?