This ancient early Christian
writing is one of my favorites--think of it--to walk with Cleopas
and the other disciple on the road to Emmaus, when Yeshua (Jesus) had, “expounded
unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.” (Luke 24:27)
In this dialogue between a fiery 2nd century evangelist (Justin) and a
solid Jew (Trypho), I got a very small taste of Luke 24:27. Throughout the conversation you learn details about the early Christian persecutions, doctrine, history
i.e. what happened to the Septuagint (Greek translation of the Old Testament) which was composed by, approved of, and used and circulated among the Jews for over 150 years before Christ; Who Yeshua ha' Mashiyach (Jesus the Christ) is and the Father according to the Law and the Prophets, the Sabbath and feasts, and in many ways catch a glimpse of early Christian evangelism (their approach, force of their words, their meekness, etc.) There is so much
to benefit from this work that I could write several paragraphs about those
benefits. However, I’ll end my
introduction and explain a brief order of the chapters and quotes.
Chapters 1-8 explains how Justin
and Trypho met, Justin’s studies of philosophy, his meeting with Polycarp
(Polycarp was the bishop of the Church at Smyrna during the time of the Apostle
John’s Revelation), Justin’s conversion and what led him to convert. The succeeding chapters primarily consist of
his dialogue with Trypho, of which, I have copied many quotes and chapters. I encourage every reader not to “strain at a
gnat and swallow a camel”, but to really think about these words. Justin not only taught the things that Jesus
said, as Jesus meant them to be understood (such as love your enemies) but
lived them out in practice, as we know, by his martyrdom in 165 A.D. as he was
burned alive with other disciples for his faith in Yeshua (Jesus) the Mashiyach
(Christ).
“WHILE I was going about one
morning in the walks of the Xystus, a certain man, with others in his company,
having met me, and said, “Hail, O philosopher!” And immediately after saying
this, he turned round and walked along with me; his friends likewise followed
him. And I in turn having addressed him, said, “What is there important?” (Chapter 1)
And he replied, “I was
instructed,” says he “by Corinthus the Socratic in Argos, that I ought not to
despise or treat with indifference those who array themselves in this dress but
to show them all kindness, and to associate with them, as perhaps some
advantage would spring from the intercourse either to some such man or to
myself. It is good, moreover, for both, if either the one or the other be
benefited. On this account, therefore, whenever I see any one in such costume,
I gladly approach him, and now, for the same reason, have I willingly accosted
you; and these accompany me, in the expectation of hearing for themselves
something profitable from you.” “But who are you, most excellent man?” So I
replied to him in jest.” (Chapter 1)
Then he told me frankly both his
name and his family. “Trypho,” says he, “I am called; and I am a Hebrew of the
circumcision, and having escaped from the war lately carried on there I am
spending my days in Greece, and chiefly at Corinth.” (Chapter 1)
“And in what,” said I, “would
you be profited by philosophy so much as by your own lawgiver
and the prophets?” (Chapter 1)
“Why not?” he replied. “Do not
the philosophers turn every discourse on God? and do not questions continually
arise to them about His unity and providence? Is not this truly the duty of philosophy,
to investigate the Deity?” (Chapter 1)
“Assuredly,” said I, “so we too
have believed. But the most have not taken thought of this whether there be one
or more gods, and whether they have a regard for each one of us or no, as if this
knowledge contributed nothing to our happiness; nay, they moreover attempt to
persuade us that God takes care of the universe with its genera and species,
but not of me and you, and each individually, since otherwise we would surely
not need to pray to Him night and day. But it is not difficult to understand
the upshot of this; for fearlessness and license in speaking result to such as maintain
these opinions, doing and saying whatever they choose, neither dreading
punishment nor hoping for any benefit from God. For how could they? They affirm
that the same things shall always happen; and, further, that I and you shall
again live in like manner, having become neither better men nor worse. But
there are some others, who, having supposed the soul to be immortal and immaterial,
believe that though they have committed evil they will not suffer punishment
(for that which is immaterial is insensible), and that the soul, in consequence
of its immortality, needs nothing from God.” (Chapter 1)
And he, smiling gently, said,
“Tell us your opinion of these matters, and what idea you entertain respecting
God, and what your philosophy is.”
(Chapter 1)
(In Chapter 2 Justin describes
his studies in the philosophy of his day)
“I will tell you,” said I, “what seems to me; for philosophy is, in
fact, the greatest possession, and most honourable before God, to whom it leads
us and alone commends us; and these are truly holy men who have bestowed
attention on philosophy. (Chapter 2)
(In Chapters 3-8 Justin narrates
the manner of his conversion, which is a brief dialogue between him and
Polycarp)
“And while I was thus disposed,
when I wished at one period to be filled with great quietness, and to shun the
path of men, I used to go into a certain field not far from the sea. And when I
was near that spot one day, which having reached I purposed to be by myself, a
certain old man, by no means contemptible in appearance, exhibiting meek and
venerable manners, followed me at a little distance. And when I turned round to
him, having halted, I fixed my eyes rather keenly on him.
“And he said, ‘Do you know me?’
“I replied in the negative.
“ ‘Why, then,’ said he to me,
‘do you so look at me?’
“ ‘I am astonished,’ I said,
‘because you have chanced to be in my company in the same place;
for I had not expected to see
any man here.’
“And he says to me, ‘I am
concerned about some of my household. These are gone away from me; and
therefore have I come to make personal search for them, if, perhaps, they shall
make their appearance somewhere. But why are you here?’ said he to me.
“ ‘I delight,’ said I, ‘in such
walks, where my attention is not distracted, for converse with myself is
uninterrupted; and such places are most fit for philology.’
“ ‘Are you, then, a
philologian,’ said he, ‘but no lover of deeds or of truth? and do you not aim
at being a practical man so much as being a sophist?’
“ ‘What greater work,’ said I,
‘could one accomplish than this, to show the reason which governs all, and having
laid hold of it, and being mounted upon it, to look down on the errors of
others, and their pursuits? But without philosophy and right reason, prudence
would not be present to any man. Wherefore it is necessary for every man to
philosophize, and to esteem this the greatest and most honourable work; but
other things only of second-rate or third-rate importance, though, indeed, if
they be made to depend on philosophy, they are of moderate value, and worthy of
acceptance; but deprived of it, and not accompanying it, they are vulgar and
coarse to those who pursue them.’
“ ‘Does philosophy, then, make
happiness?’ said he, interrupting.
“ ‘Assuredly,’ I said, ‘and it
alone.’
“ ‘What, then, is philosophy?’
he says; ‘and what is happiness? Pray tell me, unless something hinders you
from saying.’
“ ‘Philosophy, then,’ said I,
‘is the knowledge of that which really exists, and a clear perception of the
truth; and happiness is the reward of such knowledge and wisdom.’
“ ‘But what do you call God?’
said he. “ ‘That which always maintains the same nature, and in the same
manner, and is the cause of all other things —that, indeed, is God.’ So I
answered him; and he listened to me with pleasure, and thus again interrogated
me:—“ ‘Is not knowledge a term common to different matters? For in arts of all
kinds, he who knows any one of them is called a skilful man in the art of
generalship, or of ruling, or of healing equally. But in divine and human
affairs it is not so. Is there a knowledge which affords understanding of human
and divine things, and then a thorough acquaintance with the divinity and the
righteousness of them?’
“ ‘Assuredly,’ I replied.
“ ‘What, then? Is it in the same
way we know man and God, as we know music, and arithmetic, and astronomy, or
any other similar branch?’
“ ‘By no means,’ I replied.
“ ‘You have not answered me
correctly, then,’ he said; ‘for some [branches of knowledge] come to us by
learning, or by some employment, while of others we have knowledge by sight.
Now, if one were to tell you that there exists in India an animal with a nature
unlike all others, but of such and such a kind, multiform and various, you
would not know it before you saw it; but neither would you be competent to give
any account of it, unless you should hear from one who had seen it.’
“ ‘Certainly not,’ I said.
“ ‘How then,’ he said, ‘should
the philosophers judge correctly about God, or speak any truth, when they have
no knowledge of Him, having neither seen Him at any time, nor heard Him?’
“ ‘But, father,’ said I, ‘the
Deity cannot be seen merely by the eyes, as other living beings can,
but is discernible to the mind
alone, as Plato says; and I believe him.’” (End of chapter 3)
“ ‘Is there then,’ says he,
‘such and so great power in our mind? Or can a man not perceive by sense
sooner? Will the mind of man see God at any time, if it is uninstructed by the
Holy Spirit?’
“ ‘Plato indeed says,’ replied
I, ‘that the mind’s eye is of such a nature, and has been given for this end,
that we may see that very Being when the mind is pure itself, who is the cause
of all discerned by the mind, having no colour, no form, no greatness—nothing,
indeed, which the bodily eye looks upon; but It is something of this sort, he
goes on to say, that is beyond all essence, unutterable and inexplicable, but
alone honourable and good, coming suddenly into souls well-dispositioned, on
account of their affinity to and desire of seeing Him.’
“ ‘What affinity, then,’ replied
he, ‘is there between us and God? Is the soul also divine and immortal, and a
part of that very regal mind? And even as that sees God, so also is it
attainable by us to conceive of the Deity in our mind, and thence to become
happy?’
“ ‘Assuredly,’ I said.
“ ‘And do all the souls of all
living beings comprehend Him?’ he asked; ‘or are the souls of men of one kind
and the souls of horses and of asses of another kind?’
“ ‘No; but the souls which are
in all are similar,’ I answered.
“ ‘Then,’ says he, ‘shall both
horses and asses see, or have they seen at some time or other, God?’
“ ‘No,’ I said; ‘for the
majority of men will not, saving such as shall live justly, purified by righteousness,
and by every other virtue.’
“ ‘It is not, therefore,’ said
he, ‘on account of his affinity, that a man sees God, nor because he
has a mind, but because he is
temperate and righteous?’
“ ‘Yes,’ said I; ‘and because he
has that whereby he perceives God.’
“ ‘What then? Do goats or sheep injure
any one?’
“ ‘No one in any respect,’ I
said.
“ ‘Therefore these animals will
see [God] according to your account,’ says he.
“ ‘No; for their body being of
such a nature, is an obstacle to them.’
“He rejoined, ‘If these animals
could assume speech, be well assured that they would with greater reason
ridicule our body; but let us now dismiss this subject, and let it be conceded
to you as you say. Tell me, however, this: Does the soul see [God] so long as
it is in the body, or after it has been removed from it?’
“ ‘So long as it is in the form
of a man, it is possible for it,’ I continue, ‘to attain to this by means of
the mind; but especially when it has been set free from the body, and being
apart by itself, it gets possession of that which it was wont continually and
wholly to love.’
“ ‘Does it remember this, then
[the sight of God], when it is again in the man?’
“ ‘It does not appear to me so,’
I said.
“ ‘What, then, is the advantage
to those who have seen [God]? or what has he who has seen more than he who has
not seen, unless he remember this fact, that he has seen?’
“ ‘I cannot tell,’ I answered.
“ ‘And what do those suffer who
are judged to be unworthy of this spectacle?’ said he.
“ ‘They are imprisoned in the
bodies of certain wild beasts, and this is their punishment.’
“ ‘Do they know, then, that it
is for this reason they are in such forms, and that they have committed some
sin?’
“ ‘I do not think so.’
“ ‘Then these reap no advantage
from their punishment, as it seems: moreover, I would say that they are not
punished unless they are conscious of the punishment.’
“ ‘No indeed.’
“ ‘Therefore souls neither see
God nor transmigrate into other bodies; for they would know that so they are
punished, and they would be afraid to commit even the most trivial sin
afterwards. But that they can perceive that God exists, and that righteousness
and piety are honourable, I also quite agree with you,’ said he.
“ ‘You are right,’ I replied. (End of chapter 4)
“ ‘These philosophers know
nothing, then, about these things; for they cannot tell what a soul is.’
“ ‘It does not appear so.’
“ ‘Nor ought it to be called
immortal; for if it is immortal, it is plainly unbegotten.’
“ ‘It is both unbegotten and
immortal, according to some who are styled Platonists.’
“ ‘Do you say that the world is
also unbegotten?’
“ ‘Some say so. I do not,
however, agree with them.’
“ ‘You are right; for what
reason has one for supposing that a body so solid, possessing resistance, composite,
changeable, decaying, and renewed every day, has not arisen from some cause?
But if the world is begotten, souls also are necessarily begotten; and perhaps
at one time they were not in existence, for they were made on account of men
and other living creatures, if you will say that they have been begotten wholly
apart, and not along with their respective bodies.’
“ ‘This seems to be correct.’
“ ‘They are not, then,
immortal?’
“ ‘No; since the world has
appeared to us to be begotten.’
“ ‘But I do not say, indeed,
that all souls die; for that were truly a piece of good fortune to the evil.
What then? The souls of the pious remain in a better place, while those of the
unjust and wicked are in a worse, waiting for the time of judgment. Thus some
which have appeared worthy of God never die; but others are punished so long as
God wills them to exist and to be punished.’
“ ‘Is what you say, then, of a
like nature with that which Plato in Timæus hints about the world, when
he says that it is indeed subject to decay, inasmuch as it has been created,
but that it will neither be dissolved nor meet with the fate of death on
account of the will of God? Does it seem to you the very same can be said of
the soul, and generally of all things? For those things which exist after God,
or shall at any time exist, these have the nature of decay, and are such as may
be blotted out and cease to exist; for God alone is unbegotten and
incorruptible, and therefore He is God, but all other things after Him are
created and corruptible. For this reason souls both die and are punished:
since, if they were unbegotten, they would neither sin, nor be filled with
folly, nor be cowardly, and again ferocious; nor would they willingly transform
into swine, and serpents, and dogs and it would not indeed be just to compel
them, if they be unbegotten. For that which is unbegotten is similar to, equal
to, and the same with that which is unbegotten; and neither in power nor in
honour should the one be preferred to the other, and hence there are not many
things which are unbegotten: for if there were some difference between them,
you would not discover the cause of the difference, though you searched for it;
but after letting the mind ever wander to infinity, you would at length,
wearied out, take your stand on one Unbegotten, and say that this is the Cause
of all. Did such escape the observation of Plato and Pythagoras, those wise
men,’ I said, ‘who have been as a wall and fortress of philosophy to us?’” (End of chapter 5)
“ ‘It makes no matter to me,’
said he, ‘whether Plato or Pythagoras, or, in short, any other man held such
opinions. For the truth is so; and you would perceive it from this. The soul
assuredly is or has life. If, then, it is life, it would cause something else,
and not itself, to live, even as motion would move something else than itself.
Now, that the soul lives, no one would deny. But if it lives, it lives not as
being life, but as the partaker of life; but that which partakes of anything,
is different from that of which it does partake. Now the soul partakes of life,
since God wills it to live. Thus, then, it will not even partake [of life] when
God does not will it to live. For to live is not its attribute, as it is God’s;
but as a man does not live always, and the soul is not for ever conjoined with
the body, since, whenever this harmony must be broken up, the soul leaves the
body, and the man exists no longer; even so, whenever the soul must cease to
exist, the spirit of life is removed from it, and there is no more soul, but it
goes back to the place from whence it was taken.’” (Chapter 6)
“ ‘Should any one, then, employ
a teacher?’ I say, ‘or whence may any one be helped, if not even in them there
is truth?’
“ ‘There existed, long before
this time, certain men more ancient than all those who are esteemed philosophers,
both righteous and beloved by God, who spoke by the Divine Spirit, and foretold
events which would take place, and which are now taking place. They are called
prophets. These alone both saw and announced the truth to men, neither
reverencing nor fearing any man, not influenced by a desire for glory, but
speaking those things alone which they saw and which they heard, being filled
with the Holy Spirit. Their writings are still extant, and he who has read them
is very much helped in his knowledge of the beginning and end of things, and of
those matters which the philosopher ought to know, provided he has believed
them. For they did not use demonstration in their treatises, seeing that they
were witnesses to the truth above all demonstration, and worthy of belief; and
those events which have happened, and those which are happening, compel you to
assent to the utterances made by them, although, indeed, they were entitled to
credit on account of the miracles which they performed, since they both
glorified the Creator, the God and Father of all things, and proclaimed His
Son, the Christ [sent] by Him: which, indeed, the false prophets, who are
filled with the lying unclean spirit, neither have done nor do, but venture to
work certain wonderful deeds for the purpose of astonishing men, and glorify
the spirits and demons oferror. But pray that, above all things, the gates of
light may be opened to you; for these things cannot be perceived or understood
by all, but only by the man to whom God and His Christ have imparted
wisdom.’” (Chapter 7)
“When he had spoken these and
many other things, which there is no time for mentioning at present, he went
away, bidding me attend to them; and I have not seen him since. But straightway
a flame was kindled in my soul; and a love of the prophets, and of those men
who are friends of Christ, possessed me; and whilst revolving his words in my
mind, I found this philosophy alone to be safe and profitable. Thus, and for
this reason, I am a philosopher. Moreover, I would wish that all, making a
resolution similar to my own, do not keep themselves away from the words of the
Saviour. For they possess a terrible power in themselves, and are sufficient to
inspire those who turn aside from the path of rectitude with awe; while the
sweetest rest is afforded those who make a diligent practice of them. If, then,
you have any concern for yourself, and if you are eagerly looking for
salvation, and if you believe in God, you may—since you are not indifferent to
the matter —become acquainted with the Christ of God, and, after being
initiated, live a happy life.”
When I had said this, my beloved
friends those who were with Trypho laughed; but he, smiling, says, “I approve
of your other remarks, and admire the eagerness with which you study divine
things; but it were better for you still to abide in the philosophy of Plato,
or of some other man, cultivating endurance, self-control, and moderation,
rather than be deceived by false words, and follow the opinions of men of no
reputation. For if you remain in that mode of philosophy, and live blamelessly,
a hope of a better destiny were left to you; but when you have forsaken God,
and reposed confidence in man, what safety still awaits you? If, then, you are
willing to listen to me (for I have already considered you a friend), first be
circumcised, then observe what ordinances have been enacted with respect to the
Sabbath, and the feasts, and the new moons of God; and, in a word, do all
things which have been written in the law: and then perhaps you shall obtain
mercy from God. But Christ —if He has indeed been born, and exists anywhere—is
unknown, and does not even know Himself, and has no power until Elias come to
anoint Him, and make Him manifest to all. And you, having accepted a groundless
report, invent a Christ for yourselves, and for his sake are inconsiderately
perishing.” (End of chapter 8)
“I excuse and forgive you, my
friend,” I said. “For you know not what you say, but have been persuaded by
teachers who do not understand the Scriptures; and you speak, like a diviner,
whatever comes into your mind. But if you are willing to listen to an account
of Him, how we have not been deceived, and shall not cease to confess Him,—although
men’s reproaches be heaped upon us, although the most terrible tyrant compel us
to deny Him,—I shall prove to you as you stand here that we have not believed
empty fables, or words without any foundation but words filled with the Spirit
of God, and big with power, and flourishing with grace.” (Chapter 9)
Then again those who were in his
company laughed, and shouted in an unseemly manner. Then I rose up and was
about to leave; but he, taking hold of my garment, said I should not accomplish
that until I had performed what I promised. “Let not, then, your companions be
so tumultuous, or behave so disgracefully,” I said. “But if they wish, let them
listen in silence; or, if some better occupation prevent them, let them go
away; while we, having retired to some spot, and resting there, may finish the
discourse.” It seemed good to Trypho that we should do so; and accordingly, having
agreed upon it, we retired to the middle space of the Xystus. Two of his
friends, when they had ridiculed and made game of our zeal, went off. And when
we were come to that place, where there are stone seats on both sides, those
with Trypho, having seated themselves on the one side, conversed with each
other.” (Chapter 9)
(Justin speaking) “Is there any
other matter, my friends, in which we are blamed, than this, that we live not
after the law, and are not circumcised in the flesh as your forefathers were,
and do not observe sabbaths as you do?
(Chapter 10)
(Trypho Speaking ) Moreover, I am aware that your precepts in
the so-called Gospel are so wonderful and so great, that I suspect no one can
keep them; for I have carefully read them.
(Chapter 10)
(For I have read that there
shall be a final law, and a covenant, the chiefest of all, which it is now
incumbent on all men to observe, as many as are seeking after the inheritance
of God. For the law promulgated on Horeb is now old, and belongs to yourselves
alone; but this is for all universally. Now, law placed against law has
abrogated that which is before it, and a covenant which comes after in like
manner has put an end to the previous one; and an eternal and final law—namely,
Christ —has been given to us, and the covenant is trustworthy, after which
there shall be no law, no commandment, no ordinance. Have you not read this
which Isaiah says: ‘Hearken unto Me, hearken unto Me, my people; and, ye kings,
give ear unto Me: for a law shall go forth from Me, and My judgment shall be
for a light to the nations. My righteousness approaches swiftly, and My
salvation shall go forth, and nations shall trust in Mine arm?’ And by Jeremiah, concerning this same new
covenant, He thus speaks: ‘Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will
make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah; not
according to the covenant which I made with their fathers, in the day that I
took them by the hand, to bring them out of the land of Egypt’) (Chapter 11)
The new law requires you to keep
perpetual Sabbath, and you, because you are idle for one day, suppose you are
pious, not discerning why this has been commanded you: and if you eat
unleavened bread, you say the will of God has been fulfilled. The Lord our God
does not take pleasure in such observances: if there is any perjured person or
a thief among you, let him cease to be so; if any adulterer, let him repent;
then he has kept the sweet and true Sabbaths of God. If any one has impure
hands, let him wash and be pure.
(Chapter 12)
“For since you have read, O
Trypho, as you yourself admitted, the doctrines taught by our Saviour, I do not
think that I have done foolishly in adding some short utterances of His to the
prophetic statements. Wash therefore, and be now clean, and put away iniquity
from your souls, as God bids you be washed in this laver, and be circumcised with
the true circumcision. For we too would observe the fleshly circumcision, and
the Sabbaths, and in short all the feasts, if we did not know for what reason
they were enjoined you,—namely, on account of your transgressions and the
hardness of your hearts. For if we patiently endure all things contrived
against us by wicked men and demons, so that even amid cruelties unutterable,
death and torments, we pray for mercy to those who inflict such things upon us,
and do not wish to give the least retort to any one, even as the new Lawgiver
commanded us: how is it, Trypho, that we would not observe those rites which do
not harm us, —I speak of fleshly circumcision, and Sabbaths, and feasts? (Chapter 18)
Wherefore, in sympathy with you,
I am striving to the utmost that you may understand these matters which to you
are paradoxical; but if not, that I myself may be innocent in the day of
judgment. (Chapter 38)
And I replied, “It has been
already proved, sirs, to those who have ears, even from the facts which have
been conceded by you; (Chapter 39)
For the lamb, which is roasted,
is roasted and dressed up in the form of the cross. For one spit is transfixed
right through from the lower parts up to the head, and one across the back, to
which are attached the legs of the lamb.
(Chapter 40)
“For thus, so far as you are
concerned, I shall be found in all respects innocent, if I strive earnestly to
persuade you by bringing forward demonstrations. But if you remain
hard-hearted, or weak in [forming] a resolution, on account of death, which is
the lot of the Christians, and are unwilling to assent to the truth, you shall
appear as the authors of your own [evils].
Ch 44
But there is no other [way] than
this, —to become acquainted with this Christ, to be washed in the fountain
spoken of by Isaiah for the remission of sins; and for the rest, to live
sinless lives.” Ch 44
I replied to him, “When I
quoted, sir, the words spoken by Ezekiel, that ‘even if Noah and Daniel and
Jacob were to beg sons and daughters, the request would not be granted them,’
but that each one, that is to say, shall be saved by his own righteousness, I
said also, that those who regulated their lives by the law of Moses would in
like manner be saved. For what in the law of Moses is naturally good, and
pious, and righteous, and has been prescribed to be done by those who obey it;
and what was appointed to be performed by reason of the hardness of the people’s
hearts; was similarly recorded, and done also by those who were under the law.
Since those who did that which is universally, naturally, and eternally good
are pleasing to God, they shall be saved through this Christ in the
resurrection. ch 45
“But if some, even now, wish to
live in the observance of the institutions given by Moses, and yet believe in
this Jesus who was crucified, recognising Him to be the Christ of God, and that
it is given to Him to be absolute Judge of all, and that His is the everlasting
kingdom, can they also be saved?” he inquired of me. And I replied, “Let us
consider that also together, whether one may now observe all the Mosaic
institutions.” And he answered, “No. For we know that, as you said, it is not
possible either anywhere to sacrifice the lamb of the passover, or to offer the
goats ordered for the fast; or, in short, [to present] all the other
offerings.” And I said, “Tell [me] then yourself, I pray, some things which can
be observed; for you will be persuaded that, though a man does not keep or has
not performed the eternal decrees, he may assuredly be saved.” Then he replied,
“To keep the Sabbath, to be circumcised, to observe months, and to be washed if
you touch anything prohibited by Moses, or after sexual intercourse.” And I
said, “Do you think that Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Noah, and Job, and all the rest
before or after them equally righteous, also Sarah the wife of Abraham, Rebekah
the wife of Isaac, Rachel the wife of Jacob, and Leah, and all the rest of
them, until the mother of Moses the faithful servant, who observed none of
these [statutes], will be saved?” And Trypho answered, “Were not Abraham and
his descendants circumcised?” And I said, “I know that Abraham and his
descendants were circumcised. The reason why circumcision was given to them I
stated at length in what has gone before; and if what has been said does not
convince you, let us again search into the matter. But you are aware that, up
to Moses, no one in fact who was righteous observed any of these rites at all
of which we are talking, or received one commandment to observe, except that of
circumcision, which began from Abraham.” And he replied, “We know it, and admit
that they are saved.” Then I returned answer, “You perceive that God by Moses
laid all such ordinances upon you on account of the hardness of your people’s
hearts, in order that, by the large number of them, you might keep God
continually, and in every action, before your eyes, and never begin to act
unjustly or impiously. For He enjoined you to place around you [a fringe] of
purple dye, in order that you might not forget God; and He commanded you to
wear a phylactery, certain characters, which indeed we consider holy, being
engraved on very thin parchment; and by these means stirring you up to retain a
constant remembrance of God: at the same time, however, convincing you, that in
your hearts you have not even a faint remembrance of God’s worship. Yet not
even so were you dissuaded from idolatry: for in the times of Elijah, when
[God] recounted the number of those who had not bowed the knee to Baal, He said
the number was seven thousand; and in Isaiah He rebukes you for having
sacrificed your children to idols. But we, because we refuse to sacrifice t
those to whom we were of old accustomed to sacrifice, undergo extreme
penalties, and rejoice in death,—believing that God will raise us up by His
Christ, and will make us incorruptible, and undisturbed, and immortal; and we
know that the ordinances imposed by reason of the hardness of your people’s
hearts, contribute nothing to the performance of righteousness and of
piety.” Ch 46
But I believe that even those,
who have been persuaded by them to observe the legal dispensation along with
their confession of God in Christ, shall probably be saved. And I hold,
further, that such as have confessed and known this man to be Christ, yet who
have gone back from some cause to the legal dispensation, and have denied that
this man is Christ, and have repented not before death, shall by no means be
saved. Ch 47
Pay attention, therefore, to
what I shall record out of the holy Scriptures, which do not need to be
expounded, but only listened to. Chapter
55
Wherefore also our Lord Jesus
Christ said, ‘In whatsoever things I shall take you, in these I shall judge
you.’ ”
(Justin is speaking to
Trypho) You are not, however, acting
fairly or truthfully in attempting to undo those things in which there has been
constantly agreement between us; namely, that certain commands were instituted
by Moses on account of the hardness of your people’s hearts. For you said that, by reason of His living
conformably to law, He was elected and became Christ, if indeed He were proved
to be so.” And Trypho said, “You admitted to us that He was both circumcised,
and observed the other legal ceremonies ordained by Moses.” And I replied, “I
have admitted it, and do admit it: yet I have admitted that He endured all
these not as if He were justified by them, but completing the dispensation
which His Father, the Maker of all things, and Lord and God, wished Him [to
complete]. Ch. 67
“Likewise,” said I, “did not the
Scriptures predict that God promised to dispense a new covenant besides that
which [was dispensed] in the mountain Horeb?” This, too, he replied, had been
predicted. Then I said again, “Was not the old covenant laid on your fathers
with fear and trembling, so that they could not give ear to God?” He admitted
it. “What then?” said I: “God promised that there would be another covenant,
not like that old one, and said that it would be laid on them without fear, and
trembling, and lightnings, and that it would be such as to show what kind of
commands and deeds God knows to be eternal and suited to every nation, and what
commandments He has given, suiting them to the hardness of your people’s
hearts, as He exclaims also by the prophets.”
(Chapter 67)
“But I am far from putting
reliance in your teachers, who refuse to admit that the interpretation made by
the seventy elders who were with Ptolemy [king] of the Egyptians is a correct
one; and they attempt to frame another. And I wish you to observe, that they
have altogether taken away many Scriptures from the translations effected by
those seventy elders who were with Ptolemy, and by which this very man who was
crucified is proved to have been set forth expressly as God, and man, and as
being crucified, and as dying; but since I am aware that this is denied by all
of your nation, I do not address myself to these points, but I proceed to carry
on my discussions by means of those passages which are still admitted by you.
For you assent to those which I have brought before your attention, except that
you contradict the statement, ‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive,’ and say it
ought to be read, ‘Behold, the young woman shall conceive.’ And I promised to
prove that the prophecy referred, not, as you were taught, to Hezekiah, but to
this Christ of mine: and now I shall go to the proof.” (Chapter 71)
And I said, “I shall do as you
please. From the statements, then, which Esdras made in reference to the law of
the passover, they have taken away the following: ‘And Esdras said to the
people, This passover is our Saviour and our refuge. And if you have
understood, and your heart has taken it in, that we shall humble Him on a
standard, and thereafter hope in Him, then this place shall not be forsaken for
ever, says the God of hosts. But if you will not believe Him, and will not
listen to His declaration, you shall be a laughing-stock to the nations.’ And
from the sayings of Jeremiah they have cut out the following: ‘I [was] like a
lamb that is brought to the slaughter: they devised a device against me,
saying, Come, let us lay on wood on His bread, and let us blot Him out from the
land of the living; and His name shall no more be remembered.’ And since this
passage from the sayings of Jeremiah is still written in some copies [of the
Scriptures] in the synagogues of the Jews (for it is only a short time since
they were cut out), and since from these words it is demonstrated that the Jews
deliberated about the Christ Himself, to crucify and put Him to death, He
Himself is both declared to be led as a sheep to the slaughter, as was
predicted by Isaiah, and is here represented as a harmless lamb; but being in a
difficulty about them, they give themselves over to blasphemy. And again, from
the sayings of the same Jeremiah these have been cut out: ‘The Lord God
remembered His dead people of Israel who lay in the graves; and He descended to
preach to them His own salvation.’ (Chapter 72)
And Trypho to this replied, “I
remarked to you sir, that you are very anxious to be safe in all respects,
since you cling to the Scriptures. But tell me, do you really admit that this
place, Jerusalem, shall be rebuilt; and do you expect your people to be
gathered together, and made joyful with Christ and the patriarchs, and the
prophets, both the men of our nation, and other proselytes who joined them
before your Christ came? or have you given way, and admitted this in order to
have the appearance of worsting us in the controversies?” Then I answered, “I
am not so miserable a fellow, Trypho, as to say one thing and think another. I
admitted to you formerly, that I and many others are of this opinion, and
[believe] that such will take place, as you assuredly are aware; but, on the
other hand, I signified to you that many who belong to the pure and pious
faith, and are true Christians, think otherwise. Moreover, I pointed out to you
that some who are called Christians, but are godless, impious heretics, teach
doctrines that are in every way blasphemous, atheistical, and foolish. But that
you may know that I do not say this before you alone, I shall draw up a
statement, so far as I can, of all the arguments which have passed between us;
in which I shall record myself as admitting the very same things which I admit
to you. For I choose to follow not men or men’s doctrines, but God and the
doctrines [delivered] by Him. For if you have fallen in with some who are
called Christians, but who do not admit this [truth], and venture to blaspheme
the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; who say there
is no resurrection of the dead, and that their souls, when they die, are taken
to heaven; do not imagine that they are Christians, even as one, if he would
rightly consider it, would not admit that the Sadducees, or similar sects of
Genistæ, Meristæ, Galilæans, Hellenists, Pharisees, Baptists, are Jews (do not
hear me impatiently when I tell you what I think), but are [only] called Jews
and children of Abraham, worshipping God with the lips, as God Himself
declared, but the heart was far from Him. But I and others, who are
right-minded Christians on all points, are assured that there will be a
resurrection of the dead, and a thousand years in Jerusalem, which will then be
built, adorned, and enlarged, [as] the prophets Ezekiel and Isaiah and others
declare.” (Chapter 80)
“For the prophetical gifts
remain with us, even to the present time. And hence you ought to understand
that [the gifts] formerly among your nation have been transferred to us. And
just as there were false prophets contemporaneous with your holy prophets, so
are there now many false teachers amongst us, of whom our Lord forewarned us to
beware; so that in no respect are we deficient, since we know that He foreknew
all that would happen to us after His resurrection from the dead and ascension
to heaven. For He said we would be put to death, and hated for His name’s sake;
and that many false prophets and false Christs would appear in His name, and
deceive many: and so has it come about. For many have taught godless,
blasphemous, and unholy doctrines, forging them in His name; have taught, too,
and even yet are teaching, those things which proceed from the unclean spirit
of the devil, and which were put into their hearts. Therefore we are most
anxious that you be persuaded not to be misled by such persons, since we know
that every one who can speak the truth, and yet speaks it not, shall be judged
by God, as God testified by Ezekiel, when He said, ‘I have made thee a watchman
to the house of Judah. If the sinner sin, and thou warn him not, he himself
shall die in his sin; but his blood will I require at thine hand. But if thou
warn him, thou shalt be innocent.’ And on this account we are, through fear,
very earnest in desiring to converse [with men] according to the Scriptures,
but not from love of money, or of glory, or of pleasure. For no man can convict
us of any of these [vices]. No more do we wish to live like the rulers of your
people, whom God reproaches when He says, ‘Your rulers are companions of
thieves, lovers of bribes, followers of the rewards.’ Now, if you know certain
amongst us to be of this sort, do not for their sakes blaspheme the Scriptures
and Christ, and do not assiduously strive to give falsified
interpretations.” (Chapter 82)
And I said, “Listen, my friends,
to the Scripture which induces me to act thus. Jesus commanded [us] to love
even [our] enemies, as was predicted by Isaiah in many passages, in which also
is contained the mystery of our own regeneration, as well, in fact, as the
regeneration of all who expect that Christ will appear in Jerusalem, and by
their works endeavour earnestly to please Him.
(Chapter 85)
Now, we know that he did not go
to the river because He stood in need of baptism, or of the descent of the
Spirit like a dove; even as He submitted to be born and to be crucified, not
because He needed such things, but because of the human race, which from Adam
had fallen under the power of death and the guile of the serpent, and each one
of which had committed personal transgression.
Ch 88
For God, wishing both angels and
men, who were endowed with free-will, and at their own disposal, to do whatever
He had strengthened each to do, made them so, that if they chose the things acceptable
to Himself, He would keep them free from death and from punishment; but that if
they did evil, He would punish each as He sees fit. Ch 89
“You know,” said I, “that what
the prophets said and did they veiled by parables and types, as you admitted to
us; so that it was not easy for all to understand the most [of what they said],
since they concealed the truth by these means, that those who are eager to find
out and learn it might do so with much labour.”
Ch 90
“Listen, therefore,” say I, “to
what follows; for Moses first exhibited this seeming curse of Christ’s by the
signs which he made.” “Of what [signs] do you speak?” said he. “When the
people,” replied I, “waged war with Amalek, and the son of Nave (Nun) by name Jesus
(Joshua), led the fight, Moses himself prayed to God, stretching out both
hands, and Hur with Aaron supported them during the whole day, so that they
might not hang down when he got wearied. For if he gave up any part of this
sign, which was an imitation of the cross, the people were beaten, as is
recorded in the writings of Moses; but if he remained in this form, Amalek was
proportionally defeated, and he who prevailed prevailed by the cross. For it
was not because Moses so prayed that the people were stronger, but because,
while one who bore the name of Jesus (Joshua) was in the forefront of the
battle, he himself made the sign of the cross. Ch 90
For [God] sets before every race
of mankind that which is always and universally just, as well as all
righteousness; and every race knows that adultery, and fornication, and
homicide, and such like, are sinful; and though they all commit such practices,
yet they do not escape from the knowledge that they act unrighteously whenever
they so do, with the exception of those who are possessed with an unclean
spirit, and who have been debased by education, by wicked customs, and by
sinful institutions, and who have lost, or rather quenched and put under, their
natural ideas. Ch 93
And hence I think that our Lord
and Saviour Jesus Christ spoke well when He summed up all righteousness and
piety in two commandments. They are these: ‘Thou shalt love the Lord thy God
with all thy heart, and with all thy strength, and thy neighbour as thyself.’
For the man who loves God with all the heart, and with all the strength, being
filled with a God-fearing mind, will reverence no other god; and since God
wishes it, he would reverence that angel who is beloved by the same Lord and
God. And the man who loves his neighbour as himself will wish for him the same good
things that he wishes for himself, and no man will wish evil things for
himself. Ch 93
Therefore, since all
righteousness is divided into two branches, namely, in so far as it regards God
and men, whoever, says the Scripture, loves the Lord God with all the heart,
and all the strength, and his neighbour as himself, would be truly a righteous
man. Ch 93
For though you have the means of
understanding that this man is Christ from the signs given by Moses, yet you
will not; but, in addition, fancying that we can have no arguments, you put whatever
question comes into your minds, while you yourselves are at a loss for
arguments whenever you meet with some firmly established Christian. Ch 93
“For tell me, was it not God who
commanded by Moses that no image or likeness of anything which was in heaven
above or which was on the earth should be made, and yet who caused the brazen
serpent to be made by Moses in the wilderness, and set it up for a sign by
which those bittenby serpents were saved? Yet is He free from unrighteousness.
For by this, as I previously remarked,He proclaimed the mystery, by which He
declared that He would break the power of the serpent which occasioned the
transgression of Adam, and [would bring] to them that believe on Him [who was
foreshadowed] by this sign, i.e., Him who was to be crucified, salvation from
the fangs of the serpent, which are wicked deeds, idolatries, and other
unrighteous acts. Unless the matter be so understood, give me a reason why
Moses set up the brazen serpent for a sign, and bade those that were bitten
gaze at it, and the wounded were healed; and this, too, when he had himself
commanded that no likeness of anything whatsoever should be made.” Ch 94
On this, another of those who
came on the second day said, “You have spoken truly: we cannot give a reason.
For I have frequently interrogated the teachers about this matter, and none of them
gave me a reason: therefore continue what you are speaking; for we are paying
attention while you unfold the mystery, on account of which the doctrines of
the prophets are falsely slandered.” Ch
94
Then I replied, “Just as God
commanded the sign to be made by the brazen serpent, and yet He is blameless;
even so, though a curse lies in the law against persons who are crucified, yet
no curse lies on the Christ of God, by whom all that have committed things
worthy of a curse are saved. Ch 94
If, indeed, you repent of your
sins, and recognize Him to be Christ, and observe His commandments, then you
may assert this; for, as I have said before, remission of sins shall be yours. Ch.
95
“For the statement in the law,
‘Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree,’ confirms our hope which depends
on the crucified Christ, not because He who has been crucified is cursed by
God, but because God foretold that which would be done by you all, and by those
like to you, who do not know that this is He who existed before all, who is the
eternal Priest of God, and King, and Christ. And you clearly see that this has
come to pass. For you curse in your synagogues all those who are called from
Him Christians; and other nations effectively carry out the curse, putting to
death those who simply confess themselves to be Christians; to all of whom we
say, You are our brethren; rather recognise the truth of God. And while neither
they nor you are persuaded by us, but strive earnestly to cause us to deny the
name of Christ, we choose rather and submit to death, in the full assurance
that all the good which God has promised through Christ He will reward us with.
And in addition to all this we pray for you, that Christ may have mercy upon
you. For He taught us to pray for our enemies also, saying, ‘Love your enemies;
be kind and merciful, as your heavenly Father is.’ For we see that the Almighty
God is kind and merciful, causing His sun to rise on the unthankful and on the
righteous, and sending rain on the holy and on the wicked; all of whom He has
taught us He will judge. Ch 96
“For it was not without design
that the prophet Moses, when Hur and Aaron upheld his hands, remained in this
form until evening. For indeed the Lord remained upon the tree almost until evening,
and they buried Him at eventide; then on the third day He rose again. This was
declared by David thus: ‘With my voice I cried to the Lord, and He heard me out
of His holy hill. I laid me down, and slept; I awaked, for the Lord sustained
me.’ And Isaiah likewise mentions concerning Him the manner in which He would
die, thus: ‘I have spread out My hands unto a people disobedient, and
gainsaying, that walk in a way which is not good.’ And that He would rise
again, Isaiah himself said: ‘His burial has been taken away from the midst, and
I will give the rich for His death.’ And again, in other words, David in the
twenty-first Psalm thus refers to the suffering and to the cross in a parable
of mystery: ‘They pierced my hands and my feet; they counted all my bones. They
considered and gazed on me; they parted my garments among themselves, and cast lots
upon my vesture.’ For when they crucified Him, driving in the nails, they
pierced His hands and feet; and those who crucified Him parted His garments
among themselves, each casting lots for what he chose to have, and receiving
according to the decision of the lot. And this very Psalm you maintain does not
refer to Christ; for you are in all respects blind, and do not understand that no
one in your nation who has been called King or Christ has ever had his hands or
feet pierced while alive, or has died in this mysterious fashion—to wit, by the
cross—save this Jesus alone. Ch 97
For on the day on which He was
to be crucified, having taken three of His disciples to the hill called Olivet,
situated opposite to the temple in Jerusalem, He prayed in these words:
‘Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me.’ And again He prayed:
‘Not as I will, but as Thou wilt;’ showing by this that He had become truly a
suffering man. Ch 99
Accordingly He revealed to us
all that we have perceived by His grace out of the Scriptures, so that we know
Him to be the first-begotten of God, and to be before all creatures; likewise
to be the Son of the patriarchs, since He assumed flesh by the Virgin of their
family, and submitted to become a man without comeliness, dishonoured, and
subject to suffering. Ch 100
For we know that the fathers of
women are the fathers likewise of those children whom their daughters bear. For
[Christ] called one of His disciples— previously known by the name of Simon—Peter;
since he recognised Him to be Christ the Son of God, by the revelation of His
Father: and since we find it recorded in the memoirs of His apostles that He is
the Son of God, and since we call Him the Son, we have understood that He
proceeded before all creatures from the Father by His power and will (for He is
addressed in the writings of the prophets in one way or another as Wisdom, and
the Day, and the East, and a Sword, and a Stone, and a Rod, and Jacob, and
Israel); and that He became man by the Virgin, in order that the disobedience
which proceeded from the serpent might receive its destruction in the same
manner in which it derived its origin. For Eve, who was a virgin and undefiled,
having conceived the word of the serpent, brought forth disobedience and death.
But the Virgin Mary received faith and joy, when the angel Gabriel announced
the good tidings to her that the Spirit of the Lord would come upon her, and the
power of the Highest would overshadow her: wherefore also the Holy Thing begotten
of her is the Son of God; and she replied, ‘Be it unto me according to thy
word.’ ” And by her has He been born, to whom we have proved so many Scriptures
refer, and by whom God destroys both the serpent and those angels and men who
are like him; but works deliverance from death to those who repent of their
wickedness and believe upon Him. Ch 100
And the statement, ‘My strength
is become dry like a potsherd, and my tongue has cleaved to my throat,’ was
also a prophecy of what would be done by Him according to the Father’s will.
For the power of His strong word, by which He always confuted the Pharisees and
Scribes, and, in short, all your nation’s teachers that questioned Him, had a cessation
like a plentiful and strong spring, the waters of which have been turned off,
when He kept silence, and chose to return no answer to any one in the presence
of Pilate; as has been declared in the memoirs of His apostles, in order that
what is recorded by Isaiah might have efficacious fruit, where it is written, ‘The
Lord gives me a tongue, that I may know when I ought to speak.’ Again, when He
said, ‘Thou art my God; be not far from me,’ He taught that all men ought to
hope in God who created all things, and seek salvation and help from Him alone;
and not suppose, as the rest of men do, that salvation can be obtained by
birth, or wealth, or strength, or wisdom. And such have ever been your
practices: at one time you made a calf, and always you have shown yourselves ungrateful,
murderers of the righteous, and proud of your descent. For if the Son of God
evidently states that He can be saved, [neither] because He is a son, nor
because He is strong or wise, but that without God He cannot be saved, even
though He be sinless, as Isaiah declares in words to the effect that even in
regard to His very language He committed no sin (for He committed no iniquity
or guile with His mouth), how do you or others who expect to be saved without
this hope, suppose that you are not deceiving yourselves? Ch 102
Or He meant the devil by the
lion roaring against Him: whom Moses calls the serpent, but in Job and
Zechariah he is called the devil, and by Jesus is addressed as Satan, showing
that a compounded name was acquired by him from the deeds which he performed.
For ‘Sata’ in the Jewish and Syrian tongue means apostate; and ‘Nas’ is the
word from which he is called by interpretation the serpent, i.e.,
according to the interpretation of the Hebrew term, from both of which there
arises the single word Satanas. For this devil, when [Jesus] went up
from the river Jordan, at the time when the voice spake to Him, ‘Thou art my
Son: this day have I begotten Thee,’ is recorded in the memoirs of the apostles
to have come to Him and tempted Him, even so far as to say to Him, ‘Worship
me;’ and Christ answered him, ‘Get thee behind me, Satan: thou shalt worship
the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.’ For as he had deceived Adam,
so he hoped that he might contrive some mischief against Christ also. Ch 103
“And though all the men of your
nation knew the incidents in the life of Jonah, and though Christ said amongst
you that He would give the sign of Jonah, exhorting you to repent of your wicked
deeds at least after He rose again from the dead, and to mourn before God as
did the Ninevites, in order that your nation and city might not be taken and
destroyed, as they have been destroyed; yet you not only have not repented,
after you learned that He rose from the dead, but, as I said before you have
sent chosen and ordained men throughout all the world to proclaim that a
godless and lawless heresy had sprung from one Jesus, a Galilæan deceiver, whom
we crucified, but his disciples stole him by night from the tomb, where he was
laid when unfastened from the cross, and now deceive men by asserting that he
has risen from the dead and ascended to heaven. Moreover, you accuse Him of
having taught those godless, lawless, and unholy doctrines which you mention to
the condemnation of those who confess Him to be Christ, and a Teacher from and
Son of God. Besides this, even when your city is captured, and your land
ravaged, you do not repent, but dare to utter imprecations on Him and all who
believe in Him. Yet we do not hate you or those who, by your means, have
conceived such prejudices against us; but we pray that even now all of you may
repent and obtain mercy from God, the compassionate and long-suffering Father
of all. Chapter 108
“But that the Gentiles would
repent of the evil in which they led erring lives, when they heard the doctrine
preached by His apostles from Jerusalem, and which they learned through them, suffer
me to show you by quoting a short statement from the prophecy of Micah, one of
the twelve [minor prophets]. This is as follows: ‘And in the last days the
mountain of the Lord shall be manifest, established on the top of the
mountains; it shall be exalted above the hills, and people shall flow unto it.
And many nations shall go, and say, Come, let us go up to the mountain of the
Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and they shall enlighten us in His
way, and we shall walk in His paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law,
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And He shall judge among many peoples,
and shall rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into
ploughshares, and their spears into sickles: nation shall not lift up a sword
against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. And each man shall sit
under his vine and under his fig tree; and there shall be none to terrify: for
the mouth of the Lord of hosts hath spoken it. For all people will walk in the
name of their gods; but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever.
And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will assemble her that is
afflicted, and gather her that is driven out, and whom I had plagued; and I
shall make her that is afflicted a remnant, and her that is oppressed a strong
nation. And the Lord shall reign over them in Mount Zion from henceforth, and
even for ever.’ ” Chapter 109
And when I had finished these
words, I continued: “Now I am aware that your teachers, sirs, admit the whole
of the words of this passage to refer to Christ; and I am likewise aware that
they maintain He has not yet come; or if they say that He has come, they assert
that it is not known who He is; but when He shall become manifest and glorious,
then it shall be known who He is. And then, they say, the events mentioned in
this passage shall happen, just as if there was no fruit as yet from the words
of the prophecy. O unreasoning men! understanding not what has been proved by all
these passages, that two advents of Christ have been announced: the one, in
which He is set forth as suffering, inglorious, dishonoured, and crucified; but
the other, in which He shall come from heaven with glory, when the man of
apostasy, who speaks strange things against the Most High, shall venture to do
unlawful deeds on the earth against us the Christians, who, having learned the
true worship of God from the law, and the word which went forth from Jerusalem
by means of the apostles of Jesus, have fled for safety to the God of Jacob and
God of Israel; and we who were filled with war, and mutual slaughter, and every
wickedness, have each through the whole earth changed our warlike weapons,— our
swords into ploughshares, and our spears into implements of tillage, —and we
cultivate piety, righteousness, philanthropy, faith, and hope, which we have
from the Father Himself through Him who was crucified; and sitting each under
his vine, i.e., each man possessing his own married wife. For you are aware
that the prophetic word says, ‘And his wife shall be like a fruitful vine.’ Now
it is evident that no one can terrify or subdue us who have believed in Jesus
over all the world. For it is plain that, though beheaded, and crucified, and
thrown to wild beasts, and chains, and fire, and all other kinds of torture, we
do not give up our confession; but the more such things happen, the more do
others and in larger numbers become faithful, and worshippers of God through
the name of Jesus. For just as if one should cut away the fruit-bearing parts
of a vine, it grows up again, and yields other branches flourishing and
fruitful; even so the same thing happens with us. For the vine planted by God
and Christ the Saviour is His people. But the rest of the prophecy shall be
fulfilled at His second coming. For the expression, ‘He that is afflicted [and
driven out],’ i.e., from the world, [implies] that, so far as you and all other
men have it in your power, each Christian
has been driven out not only from his own property, but even from the whole
world; for you permit no Christian to live. But you say that the same fate has
befallen your own nation. Now, if you have been cast out after defeat in
battle, you have suffered such treatment justly indeed, as all the Scriptures
bear witness; but we, though we have done no such [evil acts] after we knew the
truth of God, are testified to by God, that, together with the most righteous,
and only spotless and sinless Christ, we are taken away out of the earth. For
Isaiah cries, ‘Behold how the righteous perishes, and no man lays it to heart;
and righteous men are taken away, and no man considers it.’ Chapter 110
“And that it was declared by
symbol, even in the time of Moses, that there would be two advents of this
Christ, as I have mentioned previously, [is manifest] from the symbol of the
goats presented for sacrifice during the fast. And again, by what Moses and
Joshua did, the same thing was symbolically announced and told beforehand. For
the one of them, stretching out his hands, remained till evening on the hill,
his hands being supported; and this reveals a type of no other thing than of the
cross: and the other, whose name was altered to Jesus (Joshua), led the fight,
and Israel conquered. Now this took place in the case of both those holy men
and prophets of God, that you may perceive how one of them could not bear up
both the mysteries: I mean, the type of the cross and the type of the name. For
this is, was, and shall be the strength of Him alone, whose name every power
dreads, being very much tormented because they shall be destroyed by Him.
Therefore our suffering and crucified Christ was not cursed by the law, but
made it manifest that He alone would save those who do not depart from His
faith. And the blood of the passover, sprinkled on each man’s door-posts and
lintel, delivered those who were saved in Egypt, when the first-born of the Egyptians
were destroyed. For the passover was Christ, who was afterwards sacrificed, as also
Isaiah said, ‘He was led as a sheep to the slaughter.’ And it is written, that
on the day of the passover you seized Him, and that also during the passover
you crucified Him. And as the blood of the passover saved those who were in
Egypt, so also the blood of Christ will deliver from death those who have
believed. Would God, then, have been deceived if this sign had not been above
the doors? I do not say that; but I affirm that He announced beforehand the
future salvation for the human race through the blood of Christ.” Chapter 111
“But you, expounding these
things in a low [and earthly] manner, impute much weakness to God, if you thus
listen to them merely, and do not investigate the force of the words spoken.
Since even Moses would in this way be considered a transgressor: for he
enjoined that no likeness of anything in heaven, or on earth, or in the sea, be
made; and then he himself made a brazen serpent and set it on a standard, and
bade those who were bitten look at it: and they were saved when they looked at
it. Will the serpent, then, which (I have already said) God had in the
beginning cursed and cut off by the great sword, as Isaiah says, be understood
as having preserved at that time the people? and shall we receive these things
in the foolish acceptation of your teachers, and [regard] them not as signs?
And shall we not rather refer the standard to the resemblance of the crucified Jesus,
since also Moses by his outstretched hands, together with him who was named
Jesus (Joshua), achieved a victory for your people? For in this way we shall
cease to be at a loss about the things which the lawgiver did, when he, without
forsaking God, persuaded the people to hope in a beast through which
transgression and disobedience had their origin. And this was done and said by
the blessed prophet with much intelligence and mystery; and there is nothing
said or done by any one of the prophets, without exception, which one can
justly reprehend, if he possess the knowledge which is in them. But if your
teachers only expound to you why female camels are spoken of in this passage,
and are not in that; or why so many measures of fine flour and so many measures
of oil [are used] in the offerings; and do so in a low and sordid manner, while
they never venture either to speak of or to expound the points which are great
and worthy of investigation, or command you to give no audience to us while we
expound them, and to come not into conversation with us; will they not deserve
to hear what our Lord Jesus Christ said to them: ‘Whited sepulchres, which
appear beautiful outward, and within are full of dead men’s bones; which pay
tithe of mint, and swallow a camel: ye blind guides!’ If, then, you will not
despise the doctrines of those who exalt themselves and wish to be called
Rabbi, Rabbi, and come with such earnestness and intelligence to the words of
prophecy as to suffer the same inflictions from your own people which the
prophets themselves did, you cannot receive any advantage whatsoever from the
prophetic writings.” Chapter 112
“What I mean is this. Jesus
(Joshua), as I have now frequently remarked, who was called Oshea, when he was
sent to spy out the land of Canaan, was named by Moses Jesus (Joshua). Why he
did this you neither ask, nor are at a loss about it, nor make strict
inquiries. Therefore Christ has escaped your notice; and though you read, you
understand not; and even now, though you hear that Jesus is our Christ, you
consider not that the name was bestowed on Him not purposelessly nor by chance.
But you make a theological discussion as to why one ‘α’ was added to Abraham’s
first name; and as to why one ‘ρ’ was added to Sarah’s name, you use similar
high-sounding disputations. But why do you not similarly investigate the reason
why the name of Oshea the son of Nave (Nun), which his father gave him, was changed
to Jesus (Joshua)? But since not only was his name altered, but he was also
appointed successor to Moses, being the only one of his contemporaries who came
out from Egypt, he led the surviving people into the Holy Land; and as he, not
Moses, led the people into the Holy Land, and as he distributed it by lot to
those who entered along with him, so also Jesus the Christ will turn again the
dispersion of the people, and will distribute the good land to each one, though
not in the same manner. For the former gave them a temporary inheritance,
seeing he was neither Christ who is God, nor the Son of God; but the latter,
after the holy resurrection, shall give us the eternal possession. The former,
after he had been named Jesus (Joshua), and after he had received strength from
His Spirit, caused the sun to stand still. For I have proved that it was Jesus
who appeared to and conversed with Moses, and Abraham, and all the other
patriarchs without exception, ministering to the will of the Father; who also,
I say, came to be born man by the Virgin Mary, and lives for ever. For the
latter is He after whom and by whom the Father will renew both the heaven and
the earth; this is He who shall shine an eternal light in Jerusalem; this is he
who is the king of Salem after the order of Melchizedek, and the eternal Priest
of the Most High. The former is said to have circumcised the people a second
time with knives of stone (which was a sign of this circumcision with which
Jesus Christ Himself has circumcised us from the idols made of stone and of
other materials), and to have collected together those who were circumcised
from the uncircumcision, i.e., from
the error of the world, in every place by the knives of stone, to wit, the
words of our Lord Jesus. For I have shown that Christ was proclaimed by the
prophets in parables a Stone and a Rock. Accordingly the knives of stone we
shall take to mean His words, by means of which so many who were in error have
been circumcised from uncircumcision with the circumcision of the heart, with
which God by Jesus commanded those from that time to be circumcised who derived
their circumcision from Abraham, saying that Jesus (Joshua) would circumcise a
second time with knives of stone those who entered into that holy land.” Chapter 113
“For the Holy Spirit sometimes
brought about that something, which was the type of the future, should be done
clearly; sometimes He uttered words about what was to take place, as if it was
then taking place, or had taken place. And unless those who read perceive this
art, they will not be able to follow the words of the prophets as they ought.
For example’s sake, I shall repeat some prophetic passages, that you may
understand what I say. When He speaks by Isaiah, ‘He was led as a sheep to the
slaughter, and like a lamb before the shearer,’ He speaks as if the suffering
had already taken place. And when He says again, ‘I have stretched out my hands
to a disobedient and gainsaying people;’ and when He says, ‘Lord, who hath
believed our report?’—the words are spoken as if announcing events which had
already come to pass. For I have shown that Christ is oftentimes called a Stone
in parable, and in figurative speech Jacob and Israel. And again, when He says,
‘I shall behold the heavens, the works of Thy fingers,’ unless I understand His
method of using words, I shall not understand intelligently, but just as your teachers
suppose, fancying that the Father of all, the unbegotten God, has hands and
feet, and fingers, and a soul, like a composite being; and they for this reason
teach that it was the Father Himself who appeared to Abraham and to Jacob.
Blessed therefore are we who have been circumcised the second time with knives
of stone. For your first circumcision was and is performed by iron instruments,
for you remain hard-hearted; but our circumcision, which is the second, having
been instituted after yours, circumcises us from idolatry and from absolutely
every kind of wickedness by sharp stones, i.e., by the words [preached] by the
apostles of the corner-stone cut out without hands. And our hearts are thus
circumcised from evil, so that we are happy to die for the name of the good
Rock, which causes living water to burst forth for the hearts of those who by
Him have loved the Father of all, and which gives those who are willing to
drink of the water of life. But you do not comprehend me when I speak these
things; for you have not understood what it has been prophesied that Christ
would do, and you do not believe us who draw your attention to what has been
written. For Jeremiah thus cries: ‘Woe unto you! because you have forsaken the
living fountain, and have digged for yourselves broken cisterns that can hold
no water. Shall there be a wilderness where Mount Zion is, because I gave
Jerusalem a bill of divorce in your sight?’”
Chapter 114
“Indeed, I wondered,” continued
I, “why a little ago you kept silence while I was speaking, and why you did not
interrupt me when I said that the son of Nave (Nun) was the only one of contemporaries
who came out of Egypt that entered the Holy Land along with the men described as
younger than that generation. For you swarm and light on sores like flies. For
though one should speak ten thousand words well, if there happen to be one little
word displeasing to you, because not sufficiently intelligible or accurate, you
make no account of the many good words, but lay hold of the little word, and
are very zealous in setting it up as something impious and guilty; in order that,
when you are judged with the very same judgment by God, you may have a much
heavier account to render for your great audacities, whether evil actions, or
bad interpretations which you obtain by falsifying the truth. For with what
judgment you judge, it is righteous that you be judged withal.” Chapter 115 (Justin accidentally said that Joshua was the
only one of his generation that entered the Promised Land, but it was actually
Joshua and Caleb; that is why Justin wondered why Trypho did not interrupt him
when he accidentally said Joshua was the only one)
“But to give you the account of
the revelation of the holy Jesus Christ, I take up again my discourse, and I
assert that even that revelation was made for us who believe on Christ the High
Priest, namely this crucified One; and though we lived in fornication and all
kinds of filthyconversation, we have by the grace of our Jesus, according to
His Father’s will, stripped ourselves of all those filthy wickednesses with
which we were imbued. And though the devil is ever at hand to resist us, and
anxious to seduce all to himself, yet the Angel of God, i.e., the Power of God
sent to us through Jesus Christ, rebukes him, and he departs from us. And we
are just as if drawn out from the fire, when purified from our former sins, and
[rescued] from the affliction and the fiery trial by which the devil and all
his coadjutors try us; out of which Jesus the Son of God has promised again to
deliver us, and invest us with prepared garments, if we do His commandments;
and has undertaken to provide an eternal kingdom [for us]. For just as that
Jesus (Joshua), called by the prophet a priest, evidently had on filthy
garments because he is said to have taken a harlot for a wife, and is called a
brand plucked out of the fire, because he had received remission of sins when
the devil that resisted him was rebuked; even so we, who through the name of
Jesus have believed as one man in God the Maker of all, have been stripped,
through the name of His first-begotten Son, of the
filthy garments, i.e., of our sins; and being vehemently inflamed by the word
of His calling, we are the true high priestly race of God, as even God Himself
bears witness, saying that in every place among the Gentiles sacrifices are
presented to Him well-pleasing and pure. Now God receives sacrifices from no
one, except through His priests.”
Chapter 116
“For He is the chosen Priest and
eternal King, the Christ, inasmuch as He is the Son of God; and do not suppose
that Isaiah or the other prophets speak of sacrifices of blood or libations
being presented at the altar on His second advent, but of true and spiritual
praises and giving of thanks. And we have not in vain believed in Him, and have
not been led astray by those who taught us such doctrines; but this has come to
pass through the wonderful foreknowledge of God, in order that we, through the
calling of the new and eternal covenant, that is, of Christ, might be found
more intelligent and God-fearing than yourselves, who are considered to be
lovers of God and men of understanding, but are not.” Chapter 117
“Observe, too, how the same
promises are made to Isaac and to Jacob. For thus He speaks to Isaac: ‘And in
thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.’ And to Jacob: ‘And in
theeand in thy seed shall all families of the earth be blessed.’ He says that
neither to Esau nor to Reuben, nor to any other; only to those of whom the
Christ should arise, according to the dispensation, through the Virgin Mary.
But if you would consider the blessing of Judah, you would perceive what I say.
For the seed is divided from Jacob, and comes down through Judah, and Phares, and
Jesse, and David. And this was a symbol of the fact that some of your nation
would be found children of Abraham, and found, too, in the lot of Christ; but
that others, who are indeed children of Abraham, would be like the sand on the
sea-shore, barren and fruitless, much in quantity, and without number indeed,
but bearing no fruit whatever, and only drinking the water of the sea. And a
vast multitude in your nation are convicted of being of this kind, imbibing
doctrines of bitterness and godlessness, but spurning the word of God. He
speaks therefore in the passage relating to Judah: ‘A prince shall not fail
from Judah, nor a ruler from his thighs, till that which is laid up for him come;
and He shall be the expectation of the nations.’ And it is plain that this was
spoken not of Judah, but of Christ. For all we out of all nations do expect not
Judah, but Jesus, who led your fathers out of Egypt. For the prophecy referred
even to the advent of Christ: ‘Till He come for whom this is laid up, and He
shall be the expectation of nations.’ Jesus came, therefore, as we have shown
at length, and is expected again to appear above the clouds; whose name you
profane, and labour hard to get it profaned over all the earth. It were
possible for me, sirs,” I continued, “to contend against you about the reading
which you so interpret, saying it is written, ‘Till the things laid up for Him
come;’ though the Seventy have not so explained it, but thus, ‘Till He comes
for whom this is laid up.’ But since what follows indicates that the reference
is to Christ (for it is, ‘and He shall be the expectation of nations’), I do
not proceed to have a mere verbal controversy with you, as I have not attempted
to establish proof about Christ from the passages of Scripture which are not
admitted by you which I quoted from the words of Jeremiah the prophet, and
Esdras, and David; but from those which are even now admitted by you, which had
your teachers comprehended, be well assured they would have deleted them, as
they did those about the death of Isaiah, whom you sawed asunder with a wooden saw.
And this was a mysterious type of Christ being about to cut your nation in two,
and to raise those worthy of the honour to the everlasting kingdom along with
the holy patriarchs and prophets; but He has said that He will send others to the
condemnation of the unquenchable fire along with similar disobedient and
impenitent men from all the nations. ‘For they shall come,’ He said, ‘from the
west and from the east, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob
in the kingdom of heaven; but the children of the kingdom shall be cast out
into outer darkness.’ And I have mentioned these things, taking nothing
whatever into consideration, except the speaking of the truth, and refusing to
be coerced by any one, even though I should be forthwith torn in pieces by
you.” Chapter 120
And as they kept silence, I went
on: “[The Scripture], speaking by David about this Christ, my friends, said no
longer that ‘in His seed’ the nations should be blessed, but ‘in Him.’ So it is
here: ‘His name shall rise up for ever above the sun; and in Him shall all
nations be blessed.’ But if all nations are blessed in Christ, and we of all
nations believe in Him, then He is indeed the Christ, and we are those blessed
by Him. God formerly gave the sun as an object of worship, as it is written,
but no one ever was seen to endure death on account of his faith in the sun;
but for the name of Jesus you may see men of every nation who have endured and
do endure all sufferings, rather than deny Him. For the word of His truth and
wisdom is more ardent and more light-giving than the rays of the sun, and sinks
down into the depths of heart and mind. Hence also the Scripture said, ‘His
name shall rise up above the sun.’ And again, Zechariah says, ‘His name is the
East.’ And speaking of the same, he says that ‘each tribe shall mourn.’ But if
He so shone forth and was so mighty in His first advent (which was without
honour and comeliness, and very contemptible), that in no nation He is unknown,
and everywhere men have repented of the old wickedness in each nation’s way of
living, so that even demons were subject to His name, and all powers and kingdoms
feared His name more than they feared all the dead, shall He not on His
glorious advent destroy by all means all those who hated Him, and who
unrighteously departed from Him, but give rest to His own, rewarding them with
all they have looked for? To us, therefore, it has been granted to hear, and to
understand, and to be saved by this Christ, and to recognise all the [truths
revealed] by the Father. Wherefore He said to Him: ‘It is a great thing for
Thee to be called my servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and turn again
the dispersed of Israel. I have appointed Thee for a light to the Gentiles,
that Thou mayest be their salvation unto the end of the earth.’” Chapter 121
“You think that these words
refer to the stranger and the proselytes, but in fact they refer to us who have
been illumined by Jesus. For Christ would have borne witness even to them; but
now you are become twofold more the children of hell, as He said Himself.
Therefore what was written by the prophets was spoken not of those persons, but
of us, concerning whom the Scripture speaks: ‘I will lead the blind by a way
which they knew not; and they shall walk in paths which they have not known.
And I am witness, saith the Lord God, and my servant whom I have chosen.’ To
whom, then, does Christ bear witness? Manifestly to those who have believed.
But the proselytes not only do not believe, but twofold more than yourselves
blaspheme His name, and wish to torture and put to death us who believe in Him;
for in all points they strive to be like you. And again in other words He
cries: ‘I the Lord have called Thee in righteousness, and will hold Thine hand,
and will strengthen Thee, and will give Thee for a covenant of the people, for
a light of the Gentiles, to open the eyes of the blind, to bring out the
prisoners from their bonds.’ These words, indeed, sirs, refer also to Christ,
and concern the enlightened nations; or will you say again, He speaks to them
of the law and the proselytes?” Then some of those who had come on the second
day cried out as if they had been in a theatre, “But what? does He not refer to
the law, and to those illumined by it? Now these are proselytes.” “No,” I said,
looking towards Trypho, “since, if the law were able to enlighten the nations
and those who possess it, what need is there of a new covenant? But since God
announced beforehand that He would send a new covenant, and an everlasting law
and commandment, we will not understand this of the old law and its proselytes,
but of Christ and His proselytes, namely us Gentiles, whom He has illumined, as
He says somewhere: ‘Thus saith the Lord, In an acceptable time have I heard
Thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped Thee, and I have given Thee for a
covenant of the people, to establish the earth, and to inherit the deserted.’
What, then, is Christ’s inheritance? Is it not the nations? What is the
covenant of God? Is it not Christ? As He says in another place: ‘Thou art my
Son; this day have I begotten Thee. Ask of Me, and I shall give Thee the
nations for Thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for Thy
possession.’” Chapter 122
But as my discourse is not
intended to touch on this point, but to prove to you that the Holy Ghost
reproaches men because they were made like God, free from suffering and death,
provided that they kept His commandments, and were deemed deserving of the name
of His sons, and yet they, becoming like Adam and Eve, work out death for
themselves; let the interpretation of the Psalm be held just as you wish, yet
thereby it is demonstrated that all men are deemed worthy of becoming “gods,”
and of having power to become sons of the Highest; and shall be each by himself
judged and condemned like Adam and Eve. Now I have proved at length that Christ
is called God. Ch 124
“I wish, sirs,” I said, “to
learn from you what is the force of the name Israel.” And as they were silent,
I continued: “I shall tell you what I know: for I do not think it right, when I
know, not to speak; or, suspecting that you do know, and yet from envy or from voluntary
ignorance deceive yourselves, to be continually solicitous; but I speak all
things simply and candidly, as my Lord said: ‘A sower went forth to sow the
seed; and some fell by the wayside; and some among thorns, and some on stony
ground, and some on good ground.’ I must speak, then, in the hope of finding good
ground somewhere; since that Lord of mine, as One strong and powerful, comes to
demand back His own from all, and will not condemn His steward if He recognises
that he, by the knowledge that the Lord is powerful and has come to demand His
own, has given it to every bank, and has not digged for any cause whatsoever. Accordingly
the name Israel signifies this, A man who overcomes power; for Isra is a
man overcoming, and El is power. And that Christ would act so when He became
man was foretold by the mystery of Jacob’s wrestling with Him who appeared to
him, in that He ministered to the will of the Father, yet nevertheless is God,
in that He is the first-begotten of all creatures. For when He became man, as I
previously remarked, the devil came to Him—i.e., that power which is called the
serpent and Satan—tempting Him, and striving to effect His downfall by asking
Him to worship him. But He destroyed and overthrew the devil, having proved him
to be wicked, in that he asked to be worshipped as God, contrary to the
Scripture; who is an apostate from the will of God. For He answers him, ‘It is
written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shall thou serve.’
Then, overcome and convicted, the devil departed at that time. But since our
Christ was to be numbed, i.e., by pain and experience of suffering, He made a
previous intimation of this by touching Jacob’s thigh, and causing it to
shrink. But Israel was His name from the beginning, to which He altered the
name of the blessed Jacob when He blessed him with His own name, proclaiming
thereby that all who through Him have fled for refuge to the Father, constitute
the blessed Israel. But you, having understood none of this, and not being
prepared to understand, since you are the children of Jacob after the fleshly
seed, expect that you shall be assuredly saved. But that you deceive yourselves
in such matters, I have proved by many words.”
Chapter 125
“But if you knew, Trypho,”
continued I, “who He is that is called at one time the Angel of great counsel,
and a Man by Ezekiel, and like the Son of man by Daniel, and a Child by Isaiah,
and Christ and God to be worshipped by David, and Christ and a Stone by many,
and Wisdom by Solomon, and Joseph and Judah and a Star by Moses, and the East
by Zechariah, and the Suffering One and Jacob and Israel by Isaiah again, and a
Rod, and Flower, and Corner-Stone, and Son of God, you would not have
blasphemed Him who has now come, and been born, and suffered, and ascended to
heaven; who shall also come again, and then your twelve tribes shall mourn. For
if you had understood what has been written by the prophets, you would not have
denied that He was God, Son of the only, unbegotten, unutterable God. For Moses
says somewhere in Exodus the following: ‘The Lord spoke to Moses, and said to
him, I am the Lord, and I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, being
their God; and my name I revealed not to them, and I established my covenant
with them.’ And thus again he says, ‘A man wrestled with Jacob,’ and asserts it
was God; narrating that Jacob said, ‘I have seen God face to face, and my life
is preserved.’ And it is recorded that he called the place where He wrestled
with him, appeared to and blessed him, the Face of God (Peniel). And Moses says
that God appeared also to Abraham near the oak in Mamre, when he was sitting at
the door of his tent at mid-day. Then he goes on to say: ‘And he lifted up his
eyes and looked, and, behold, three men stood before him; and when he saw them,
he ran to meet them.’ After a little, one of them promises a son to Abraham:
‘Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, and I am
old? Is anything impossible with God? At the time appointed I will return,
according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son. And they went away
from Abraham.’ Again he speaks of them thus: ‘And the men rose up from thence,
and looked toward Sodom.’ Then to Abraham He who was and is again speaks: ‘I
will not hide from Abraham, my servant, what I intend to do.’ ” And what
follows in the writings of Moses I quoted and explained; “from which I have
demonstrated,” I said, “that He who is described as God appeared to Abraham, to
Isaac, and to Jacob, and the other patriarchs, was appointed under the
authority of the Father and Lord, and ministers to His will.” Then I went on to
say what I had not said before: “And so, when the people desired to eat flesh,
and Moses had lost faith in Him, who also there is called the Angel, and who
promised that God would give them to satiety, He who is both God and the Angel,
sent by the Father, is described as saying and doing these things. For thus the
Scripture says: ‘And the Lord said to Moses, Will the Lord’s hand not be
sufficient? thou shall know now whether my word shall conceal thee or not.’ And
again, in other words, it thus says: ‘But the Lord spoke unto me, Thou shalt
not go over this Jordan: the Lord thy God, who goeth before thy face, He shall
cut off the nations.’” Chapter 126
“These and other such sayings
are recorded by the lawgiver and by the prophets; and I suppose that I have
stated sufficiently, that wherever God says, ‘God went up from Abraham,’ or,
‘The Lord spake to Moses,’ and ‘The Lord came down to behold the tower which
the sons of men had built,’ or when ‘God shut Noah into the ark,’ you must not
imagine that the unbegotten God Himself came down or went up from any place.
For the ineffable Father and Lord of all neither has come to any place, nor
walks, nor sleeps, nor rises up, but remains in His own place, wherever that
is, quick to behold and quick to hear, having neither eyes nor ears, but being
of indescribable might; and He sees all things, and knows all things, and none
of us escapes His observation; and He is not moved or confined to a spot in the
whole world, for He existed before the world was made. How, then, could He talk
with any one, or be seen by any one, or appear on the smallest portion of the earth,
when the people at Sinai were not able to look even on the glory of Him who was
sent from Him; and Moses himself could not enter into the tabernacle which he
had erected, when it was filled with the glory of God; and the priest could not
endure to stand before the temple when Solomon conveyed the ark into the house
in Jerusalem which he had built for it? Therefore neither Abraham, nor Isaac,
nor Jacob, nor any other man, saw the Father and ineffable Lord of all, and
also of Christ, but [saw] Him who was according to His will His Son, being God,
and the Angel because He ministered to
His will; whom also it pleased Him to be born man by the Virgin; who also was
fire when He conversed with Moses from the bush. Since, unless we thus
comprehend the Scriptures, it must follow that the Father and Lord of all had
not been in heaven when what Moses wrote took place: ‘And the Lord rained upon
Sodom fire and brimstone from the Lord out of heaven;’ and again, when it is
thus said by David: ‘Lift up your gates, ye rulers; and be ye lift up, ye
everlasting gates; and the King of glory shall enter;’ and again, when He says:
‘The Lord says to my Lord, Sit at My right hand, till I make Thine enemies Thy
footstool.’” Chapter 127
“And that Christ being Lord, and
God the Son of God, and appearing formerly in power as Man, and Angel, and in
the glory of fire as at the bush, so also was manifested at the judgment executed
on Sodom, has been demonstrated fully by what has been said.” Then I repeated
once more all that I had previously quoted from Exodus, about the vision in the
bush, and the naming of Joshua (Jesus), and continued: “And do not suppose,
sirs, that I am speaking superfluously when I repeat these words frequently:
but it is because I know that some wish to anticipate these remarks, and to say
that the power sent from the Father of all which appeared to Moses, or to
Abraham, or to Jacob, is called an Angel because He came to men (for by Him the
commands of the Father have been proclaimed to men); is called Glory, because
He appears in a vision sometimes that cannot be borne; is called a Man, and a
human being, because He appears arrayed in such forms as the Father pleases;
and they call Him the Word, because He carries tidings from the Father to men:
but maintain that this power is indivisible and inseparable from the Father,
just as they say that the light of the sun on earth is indivisible and inseparable
from the sun in the heavens; as when it sinks, the light sinks along with it;
so the Father, when He chooses, say they, causes His power to spring forth, and
when He chooses, He makes it return to Himself. In this way, they teach, He
made the angels. But it is proved that there are angels who always exist, and
are never reduced to that form out of which they sprang. And that this power
which the prophetic word calls God, as has been also amply demonstrated, and
Angel, is not numbered [as different] in name only like the light of the sun
but is indeed something numerically distinct, I have discussed briefly in what
has gone before; when I asserted that this power was begotten from the Father,
by His power and will, but not by abscission, as if the essence of the Father
were divided; as all other things partitioned and divided are not the same
after as before they were divided: and, for the sake of example, I took the case
of fires kindled from a fire, which we see to be distinct from it, and yet that
from which many can be kindled is by no means made less, but remains the
same.” Chapter 128
“And now I shall again recite
the words which I have spoken in proof of this point. When Scripture says, ‘The
Lord rained fire from the Lord out of heaven,’ the prophetic word indicates that
there were two in number: One upon the earth, who, it says, descended to behold
the cry of Sodom; Another in heaven, who also is Lord of the Lord on earth, as
He is Father and God; the cause of His power and of His being Lord and God.
Again, when the Scripture records that God said in the beginning, ‘Behold, Adam
has become like one of Us,’ this phrase, ‘like one of Us,’ is also indicative
of number; and the words do not admit of a figurative meaning, as the sophists endeavour
to affix on them, who are able neither to tell nor to understand the truth. And
it is written in the book of Wisdom: ‘If I should tell you daily events, I
would be mindful to enumerate them from the beginning. The Lord created me the
beginning of His ways for His works. From everlasting He established me in the
beginning, before He formed the earth, and before He made the depths, and
before the springs of waters came forth, before the mountains were settled; He
begets me before all the hills.’ ” When I repeated these words, I added: “You
perceive, my hearers, if you bestow attention, that the Scripture has declared
that this Offspring was begotten by the Father before all things created; and
that which is begotten is numerically distinct from that which begets, any one will
admit.” Chapter 129
“Now, although these and all
other such unexpected and marvellous works were wrought amongst and seen by you
at different times, yet you are convicted by the prophets of having gone to
such a length as offering your own children to demons; and besides all this, of
having dared to do such things against Christ; and you still dare to do them:
for all which may it be granted to you to obtain mercy and salvation from God
and His Christ. For God, knowing before that you would do such things,
pronounced this curse upon you by the prophet Isaiah: ‘Woe unto their soul! They
have devised evil counsel against themselves, saying, Let us bind the righteous
man, for he is distasteful to us. Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their
own doings. Woe to the wicked! evil, according to the works of his hands, shall
befall him. O my people, your exactors glean you, and those who extort from you
shall rule over you. O my people, they who call you blessed cause you to err,
and disorder the way of your paths. But now the Lord shall assist His people to
judgment, and He shall enter into judgment with the elders of the people and
the princes thereof. But why have you burnt up my vineyard? and why is the
spoil of the poor found in your houses? Why do you wrong my people, and put to
shame the countenance of the humble?’ Again, in other words, the same prophet spake
to the same effect: ‘Woe unto them that draw their iniquity as with a long cord,
and their transgressions as with the harness of an heifer’s yoke: who say, Let
His speed come near, and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel come, that
we may know it. Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil! that put
light for darkness, and darkness for light! that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe
unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! Woe
unto those that are mighty among you, who drink wine, who are men of strength, who
mingle strong drink! who justify the wicked for a reward, and take away justice
from the righteous! Therefore, as the stubble shall be burnt by the coal of
fire, and utterly consumed by the burning flame, their root shall be as wool,
and their flower shall go up like dust. For they would not have the law of the
Lord of Sabaoth, but despised the word of the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. And
the Lord of Sabaoth was very angry, and laid His hands upon them, and smote
them; and He was provoked against the mountains, and their carcases were in the
midst like dung on the road. And for all this they have not repented, but their
hand is still high.’ For verily your hand is high to commit evil, because ye
slew the Christ, and do not repent of it; but so far from that, ye hate and
murder us who have believed through Him in the God and Father of all, as often
as ye can; and ye curse Him without ceasing, as well as those who side with
Him; while all of us pray for you, and for all men, as our Christ and Lord
taught us to do, when He enjoined us to pray even for our enemies, and to love
them that hate us, and to bless them that curse us.” Chapter 133
“If, then, the teaching of the
prophets and of Himself moves you, it is better for you to follow God than your
imprudent and blind masters, who even till this time permit each man to have
four or five wives; and if any one see a beautiful woman and desire to have
her, they quote the doings of Jacob [called] Israel, and of the other
patriarchs, and maintain that it is not wrong to do such things; for they are miserably
ignorant in this matter.” Chapter 134
And besides, they beguile
themselves and you, supposing that the everlasting kingdom will be assuredly
given to those of the dispersion who are of Abraham after the flesh, although
they be sinners, and faithless, and disobedient towards God, which the Scriptures
have proved is not the case. For if so, Isaiah would never have said this: ‘And
unless the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we would have been like Sodom
and Gomorrah.’ And Ezekiel: ‘Even if Noah, and Jacob, and Daniel were to pray
for sons or daughters, their request should not be granted.’ ‘But neither shall
the father perish for the son, nor the son for the father; but every one for
his own sin, and each shall be saved for his own righteousness.’ And again
Isaiah says: ‘They shall look on the carcases of them that have transgressed:
their worm shall not cease, and their fire shall not be quenched; and they
shall be a spectacle to all flesh.’ And our Lord, according to the will of Him
that sent Him, who is the Father and Lord of all, would not have said, ‘They shall
come from the east, and from the west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and
Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the children of the kingdom
shall be cast out into outer darkness.’ Furthermore, I have proved in what has
preceded, that those who were foreknown to be unrighteous, whether men or angels,
are not made wicked by God’s fault, but each man by his own fault is what he
will appear to be.” Chapter 140
Then Trypho, after a little
delay, said, “You see that it was not intentionally that we came to discuss these points. And I confess that I have been
particularly pleased with the conference; and I think that these are of quite
the same opinion as myself. For we have found more than we expected, and more
than it was possible to have expected. And if we could do this more frequently,
we should be much helped in the searching of the Scriptures themselves. But
since,” he said, “you are on the eve of departure, and expect daily to set
sail, do not hesitate to remember us as friends when you are gone.”
“For my part,” I replied, “if I had remained, I
would have wished to do the same thing daily. But now, since I expect, with
God’s will and aid, to set sail, I exhort you to give all diligence in this
very great struggle for your own salvation, and to be earnest in setting a
higher value on the Christ of the Almighty God than on your own teachers.” After
this they left me, wishing me safety in my voyage, and from every misfortune.
And I, praying for them, said, “I can wish no better thing for you, sirs, than
this, that, recognising in this way that intelligence is given to every man,
you may be of the same opinion as ourselves, and believe that Jesus is the
Christ of God.” Chapter 142