Deuteronomy — Chapter 13

If there rise in the midst of thee a prophet or one that saith he hath dreamed a dream, and he foretell a sign and a wonder. Lapide warns that false signs and wonders from heretics or pseudo-prophets must be tested against the revealed Faith. Even if miracles occur, if the doctrine departs from the one true God and His Church, the prophet is to be rejected and punished. God permits such trials to test whether we love Him with the whole heart.

That prophet shall be slain. A harsh judicial law now abrogated by Christ's law; but its moral force remains: apostasy is the gravest of crimes, and God most severely punishes it. Lapide illustrates with the story of a Bulgarian king who blinded his apostate son to preserve the faith of his people.