The Second People of God

            In his monumental work entitled “On the Holy Trinity”, Saint Hilary of Poitiers, the great French Doctor and bishop of the Church said that the Arabic descendents of Abraham were just as much the chosen people of God as were the Jews. He backs this up from Scripture and argues from two very strong reasons:

a)   Ishmael was a legitimate son of Abraham. Hagar, his mother, was also a legitimate wife of Abraham.

b)  The angel who spoke to Hagar the Egyptian, was actually the voice of God himself who promised to make of Ishmael a great nation just as much was promised to the seed of Isaac.

Now it is true that Jesus was born of the Jewish race, but this does not make them any better than the Arabs. They have no reason to arrogate themselves as being the exclusive people of God, since as St. Hilary proved from Scripture; the Arabs are just as equally the people of God, chosen through his great love and mercy.  I present the text itself taken from St. Hilary of Poitier’s book four of the work on the Holy Trinity:

“…And God said to Abraham, Behold Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son, and thou shall call his name Isaac; and I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him. And as for Ishmael, behold. I have heard you and have blessed him, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve nations shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.”

 Is it possible to doubt that He who was previously called the Angel of God is here, in the sequel, spoken of as God? In both instances He is speaking of Ishmael; in both it is the same Person who shall multiply him. To save us from supposing that this was a different Speaker from Him who had addressed Hagar, the Divine words expressly attest the identity, saying, and I have blessed him, and will multiply him. The blessing is repeated from a former occasion, for Hagar had already been addressed; the multiplication is promised for a future day, for this is God's first word to Abraham concerning Ishmael. Now it is God who speaks to Abraham; to Hagar the Angel of God had spoken. Thus God and the Angel of God are one; He who is the Angel of God is also God the Son of God. He is called the Angel because He is the Angel of great counsel; but afterwards He is spoken of as God, lest we should suppose that He who is God is only an angel. Let us now repeat the facts in order. The Angel of the Lord spoke to Hagar; He spoke also to Abraham as God. One Speaker addressed both. The blessing was given to Ishmael, and the promise that he should grow into a great people.”

Anthony Mellace