Ex quibus ... Christus ... secundum carnem(Latin) Stephen is quoting from the Vulgate translation of Saint Paul'sEpistle to the Romans, in which he expresses his fears for the fate of the Israelites and his determination to see that they, his own people, are saved. For the Israelites are a privileged race; they are descended from the Patriarchs, and from their flesh and blood came Christ himself:[1]