Prophets' predictions prove Christian doctrine and Scripture's divine origin
Especially do the Prophets' predictions prove the truth of Christian doctrine, and argue Scripture's divine origin. For it belongs to God alone to foreknow future contingencies certainly and distinctly, and things that will come to pass only after many ages. And therefore no one can predict such things except by the afflatus of the divine Spirit. But the Prophets predicted many things for which no causes appeared in the nature of things, and which were fulfilled long after their death. Thus Isaiah named Cyrus, and predicted his empire and wondrous felicity, a hundred and fifty years before Cyrus was born. Thus Jeremiah the Prophet precisely numbered the seventy years of the Babylonian captivity before the Jews were led away to Babylon. Thus finally Daniel prophesied very clearly concerning the Monarchy of the Persians and of the Greeks, concerning the successors of Alexander the Great, and concerning Antiochus especially Epiphanes who profaned the temple of God.
Latin
XXVI. Praecipue vero doctrinae Christianae veritatem probant, et divinam Scripturae originem arguunt Prophetarum praedictiones. Etenim solius Dei est certo et distincte praenosse futura contingentia, et demum multis post saeculis eventura. Ac proinde talia praedicere nemo potest nisi divini Spiritus afflatu. Sed Prophetae multa praedixerunt, quorum nullae in rerum natura causae apparebant, et quae diu post mortem eorum impleta sunt. Ita Esaias Cyrum nominavit, imperiumque, et miram felicitatem illius praedixit, centum quinquaginta annis antequam Cyrus nasceretur. Ita Jeremias Propheta septuaginta annos captivitatis Babylonicae praecise numeravit, priusquam Judaei essent Babylonem abducti. Ita denique Daniel de Monarchia Persarum et Graecorum, de successoribus Alexandri magni, et de Antiocho praesertim Epiphane qui templum Dei profanavit, clare admodum vaticinatus est.