Lord Himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive, and shall bear a son, and his name shall be called Immanuel. Butter and honey shall he eat, before he knows or prefers the evil, and chooses out the good; ^ for before the child knows good or ill, he rejects evil 7 by choosing out the good. For before the child knows how to call father or mother, he shall receive the power of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria in presence of the king of Assyria. And the land shall be forsaken,^ which thou shalt with difficulty endure in consequence of the presence of its two kings.^ But God shall bring on thee, and on thy people, and on the house of thy father, days which have not yet come upon thee since the day in which Ephraim took away from Judah the king of Assyria.' '° Now it is evident to all, that in the race of Abraham according to the flesh no one has been bom of a virgin, or is said to have been born [of a vir- gin], save this our Christ. But since you and your teachers venture to affirm that in the proph- ecy of Isaiah it is not said, ' Behold, the virgin shall conceive,' but, ' Behold, the young woman shall conceive, and bear a son; ' and [since] you explain the prophecy as if [it referred] to Hezekiah, who was your king, I shall endeavor to discuss shortly this point in opposition to you, and to show that reference is made to Him who is acknowledged by us as Christ.
CHAP. XLIV. THE JEWS IN VAIN PROMISE THEM- -j.
SELVES SALVATION, WHICH CANNOT BE OBTAINED EXCEPT THROUGH CHRIST.
" 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]. And you deceive yourselves while you fancy that, be- cause you are the seed of Abraham after the flesh, therefore you shall fully inherit the good things announced to be bestowed by God through Christ. For no one, not even of them,'' has anything to look for, but only those who in mind are assimi- lated to the faith of Abraham, and who have * See Chap. l.wi.
7 Literally, "disobeys evil" {aneiOet Tronjpa). Conjectured: oTriofltc, and aneiOei irovripCa.
8 The MSS. of Justin read, "shall be taken:" KaTaAT)'t9>i<j-cTai. This is plainly a mistake for KaTa\ei.<j>Ori(TeTai; but whether the mis- take is Justin's or the transcribers', it would be difficult to say, as Thirlby remarks.
9 The rendering of this is doubtful: literally, "from the face o! the two kinj^s," and the words might go with " shall be forsaken."
'<^ Isa. vii. 10-17 with Isa. viii. 4 inserted. The last clause may also be translated, " in which He took away from Judah Ephraim, even the king of Assyria."
DIALOGUE WITH TRYPHO.
217 recognised all the mysteries: for I say,' that some injunctions were laid on you in reference to the worship of God and practice of righteous- ness; but some injunctions and acts were like- wise mentioned in reference to the mystery of Christ, on account of- the hardness of your peo- ple's hearts. And that this is so, God makes known in Ezekiel, [when] He said concerning it: 'If Noah and Jacob ^ and Daniel should beg either sons or daughters, the request would not be granted them.' + And in Isaiah, of the very same matter He spake thus: ' The Lord God said, they shall both go forth and look on the members [of the bodies] of the men that have transgressed. For their worm shall not die, and their fire shall not be quenched, and they shall be a gazing-stock to all flesh.' s So that it be- comes you to eradicate this hope from your souls, and hasten to know in what way forgiveness of sins, and a hope of inheriting the promised good things, shall be yours. 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."
CHAP. XLV. THOSE WHO WERE RIGHTEOUS BEFORE AND UNDER THE LAW SHALL BE SAVED BY - CHRIST.
And Trypho said, " If I seem to interrupt these matters, which you say must be investi- gated, yet the question which I mean to put is urgent. Suffer me first."
And I replied, " Ask whatever you please, as it occurs to you; and I shall endeavour, after questions and answers, to resume and complete the discourse."
Then he said, " Tell me, then, shall those who lived according to the law given by Moses, live in the same manner with Jacob, Enoch, and Noah, in the resurrection of the dead, or not? " 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 daugh- ters, 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 ' Justin distinguishes between such essential acts as related to God's worship and the establishment of righteousness, and such cere- monial observances as had a mere temporary significance. The recog- nition of this distinction he alleges to be necessary to salvation: necessar\- in this sense, that justification must be placed not on the latter, but on the former; and without such recognition, a Jew would, as Justin says, rest his hopes on his noble descent from Abraham.
2 More probably, " or on account of," etc.
3 In Bible, "Job;" Maranus prefers "Jacob," and thinks the mention of his name very suitable to disprove the arrogant claims of Jacob's posterity.
■* Ezek. xiv. 20. ' Isa. Ixvi. 24.
* Some refer this to Christ's baptism. See Cyprian, Adv. Jud. I. 24. — Otto.
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 resur- rection equally with those righteous men who were before them, namely Noah, and Enoch, and Jacob, and whoever else there be, along with those who have known ^ this Christ, Son of God, who was before the morning star and the moon, and submitted to become incarnate, and be born of this virgin of the family of David, in order that, by this dispensation, the serpent that sinned from the beginning, and the angels like him, may be destroyed, and that death may be contemned, and for ever quit, at the second coming of the Christ Himself, those who believe in Him and live acceptably, — and be no more: when some are sent to be punished unceasingly into judg- ment and condemnation of fire; but others shall exist in freedom from suffering, from corruption, and from grief, and in immortality."
CHAP. XLVI. TRYPHO ASKS WHETHER A MAN WHO KEEPS THE LAW EVEN NOW WILL BE SAVED. JUSTIN PROVES THAT IT CONTRIBUTES NOTHING TO RIGHTEOUSNESS.
" 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 to- gether, 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 pre- sent] 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 be- ' It, i.e., the law, or" what in the law," etc.
* Those who live after Christ.
9 " Eternal," i.e., as the Jew thinks.
2l8 DIALOGUE WITH TRYPHO.
' fore 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 faith- ful ser\-ant, who observed none of these [stat- utes], 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 ujjon 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 re- membrance 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 idola- try: for in the times of Elijah, when [God] re- counted 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 to those to whom •we were of old accustomed to sacrifice, undergo extreme penalties, and rejoice in death, — be- lieving that God will raise us up by His Christ, and win make us incorruptible, and undisturbed, and immortal; and we know that the ordinances imposed by reason of tlie hardness of your peo- ple's hearts, contribute nothing to the perform- ance of righteousness and of piety."
CHAP. XLVII. — JUSTIN COMMUNICATES WITH CHRIS- TIANS WHO OBSERVE THE LAW. NOT A FEW CATHOLICS DO OTHERWISE.
And Trypho again inquired, " But if some one, knowing that this is so, after he recognises that * Literally, " put you out of counteaance."
* Num. XV. 38.
* Deut. vi. 6.
* Literally, " importuning."
this man is Christ, and has believed in and obeys Him, wishes, however, to observe these [institu- tions], will he be saved?"
I said, " In my opinion, Trj'pho, such an one will be saved, if he does not strive in every way to persuade other men, — I mean those Gentiles who have been circumcised from error by Christ, to observe the same things as himself, telling them that they will not be saved unless they do so. This you did yourself at the commencement of the discourse, when you declared that I would not be saved unless I observe these institutions."
Then he replied, " Why then have you said, ' In my opinion, such an one will be saved,' un- less there are some 5 who affirm that such will not be saved?"
" There are such people, Trj^pho," I answered; " and these do not venture to have any inter- course with or to extend hospitality to such per- sons; but I do not agree with them. But if some, through weak-mindedness, wish to observe such institutions as were given by Moses, from which they expect some virtue, but which we believe were appointed by reason of the hardness of the people's hearts, along with their hope in this Christ, and [wish to perform] the eternal and natural acts of righteousness and piety, yet choose to live with the Christians and the faith- ful, as I said before, not inducing them either to be circumcised like themselves, or to keep the Sabbath, or to observe any other such ceremo- nies, then I hold that we ought to join ourselves to such, and associate with them in all things as kinsmen and brethren. But if, Trypho," I con- tinued, " some of your race, who say they be- lieve in this Christ, compel those Gentiles who believe in this Christ to live in all respects ac- cording to the law given by Moses, or choose not to associate so intimately with them, I in like manner do not approve of them. But I believe that even those, who have been per- suaded 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 be- fore death, shall by no means be saved. Further, I hold that those of the seed of Abraham who live according to the law, and do not believe in this Christ before death, shall likewise not be saved, and especially those who have anathema- tized and do anathematize this very Christ in the synagogues, and everything by which they might obtain salvation and escape the vengeance of fire.'' For the goodness and the loving-kindness S " Or, Are there not some," etc.
f" The text seems to be corrupt. Otto reads: " Dn •J>«ihematize those who put their trust iu this very Christ so as to o»Viin salva- tion," etc.
DIALOGUE WITH TRYPHO.
219 of God, and His boundless riches, hold righteous and sinless the man who, as Ezekiel ' tells, re- pents of sins; and reckons sinful, unrighteous, and impious the man who falls away from piety and righteousness to unrighteousness and ungod- liness. Wherefore also our Lord Jesus Christ iaid, ' In whatsoever things I shall take you, in these I shall judge you.' " ^ CHAP. XLVIII. BEFORE THE DIVINITY OF CHRIST IS PROVED, HE [tRYPHO] DEMANDS THAT IT BE SETTLED THAT HE IS CHRIST. 1 And Trypho said, " We have heard what you think of these matters. Resume the discourse where you left off, and bring it to an end. For some of it appears to me to be paradoxical, and wholly incapable of proof. For when you say that this Christ existed as God before the ages, then that He submitted to be born and become man, yet that He is not man of man, this [asser- tion] appears to me to be not merely paradoxi- cal, but also foolish."
And I replied to this, " I know that the state- ment does appear to be paradoxical, especially to those of your race, who are ever unwilling to understand or to perform the [requirements] of God, but [ready to perform] those of your teach- ers, as God Himself declares.^ Now assuredly, Trypho," I continued, " [the proof] that this man •» is the Christ of God does not fail, though I be unable to prove that He existed formerly as Son of the Maker of all things, being God, and was born a man by the Virgin. But since I have certainly proved that this man is the Christ of God, whoever He be, even if I do not prove that He pre-existed, and submitted to be bom a man of like passions with us, having a body, accord- ing to the Father's will; in this last matter alone is it just to say that I have erred, and not to deny that He is the Christ, though it should appear that He was born man of men, and [nothing more] is proved [than this], that He has become Christ by election. For there are some, my friends," I said, " of our race,5 who admit that He is Christ, while holding Him to be man of men; with whom I do not agree, nor would I,^ even though most of those who have [now] the same opinions as myself should say so; since we were enjoined by Christ Himself to put no faith ' Ezek. xxxiii. 11-20.
2 [Comp. St. John xii. 47, 48.] Grabius thinks this taken from the [apocryphal] Gospel according to the Hebrews. It is not in the New or Old Testament. [Query. Is it not, rather, one of the tradi- tional sayings preserved among early Christians?]
3 Comp. Isa. xxix. 13. * Or, " such a man."
5 Some read, " of your race, " referring to the Ebionites. Mara- nus believes the reference is to the Ebionites, and supports in a long note the reading " our," inasmuch as Justin would be more likely to associate these Ebionites with Christians than with Jews, even though they were heretics.
^ Langus translates: " Nor would, indeed, many who arc of the same opinion as myself say so."
in human doctrines,^ but in those proclaimed by the blessed prophets and taught by Himself."
CHAP. XLIX. TO THOSE WHO OBJECT THAT ELIJAH HAS NOT YET COME, HE REPLIES THAT HE IS THE PRECURSOR OF THE FIRST ADVENT.
And Trypho said, " Those who affirm him to have been a man, and to have been anointed by election, and then to have become Christ, appear to me to speak more plausibly than you who hold those opinions which you express. For we all expect that Christ will be a man [born] of men, and that Elijah when he comes will anoint him. But if this man appear to be Christ, he must certainly be known as man [born] of men; but from the circumstance that Elijah has not yet come, I infer that this man is not He [the Christ]."
Then I inquired of him, " Does not Scripture^ in the book of Zechariah,^ say that Elijah shall come before the great and terrible day of the Lord?"
And he answered, " Certainly."
"If therefore Scripture compels you to admit that two advents of Christ were predicted to take place, — one in which He would appear suf- fering, and dishonoured, and without comeliness; but the other in which He would come glorious, and Judge of all, as has been made manifest in many of the fore-cited passages, — shall we not suppose that the word of God has proclaimed that Elijah shall be the precursor of the great and terrible day, that is, of His second advent?"
" Certainly," he answered.
" And, accordingly, our Lord in His teaching," I continued, "proclaimed that this very thing would take place, saying that Elijah would also come. And we know that this shall take place when our Lord Jesus Christ shall come in glory from heaven; whose first manifestation the Spirit of God who was in Elijah preceded as herald in [the person of] John, a prophet among your nation; after whom no other prophet appeared among you. He cried, as he sat by the river Jordan: ' I baptize you with water to repentance; but He that is stronger than I shall come, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire: whose fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly purge His floor, and will gather the wheat into the barn; but the chaff He will burn up with un- quenchable fire.' 9 And this very prophet your king Herod had shut up in prison; and when his birth-day was celebrated, and the niece '° of the same Herod by her dancing had pleased him, he told her to ask whatever she pleased.
^ [Note this emphatic testimony of primitive faith.]
8 Mai. iv. 5.
:20 DIALOGUE WITH TRYPHO.
Then the mother of the maiden instigated her to ask the head of John, who was in prison; and having asked it, [Herod] sent and ordered the head of John to be brought in on a charger. Wherefore also our Christ said, [when He was] on earth, to those who were affirming that Elijah must come before Christ: ' Elijah shall come, and restore all things; but I say unto j^ou, that Elijah has already come, and they knew him not, but have done to him whatsoever they chose.' ' And it is written, ' Then the disciples understood that He spake to them about John the Jiaptist.'"
And Trypho said, " This statement also seems to me paradoxical; namely, that the prophetic Spirit of God, who was in Elijah, was • also in John."
To this I replied, " Do you not think that the same thing happened in the case of Joshua the son of Nave (Nun), who succeeded to the com- mand of the people after Moses, when Moses was commanded to lay his hands on Joshua, and God said to him, ' I will take of the spirit which is in thee, and put it on him? ' " ^ And he said, " Certainly."
"As therefore," I say, "while Moses was still among men, God took of the spirit which was in Moses and put it on Joshua, even so God was able to cause [the spirit] of Elijah to come upon John; in order that, as Christ at His first com- ing appeared inglorious, even so the first coming of the spirit, which remained always pure in Elijah 3 like that of Christ, might be perceived to be inglorious. For the Lord said He would wage war against Amalek with concealed hand; and you will not deny that Amalek fell. But if it is said that only in the glorious advent of Christ war will be waged with Amalek, how great will the fulfilment * of Scripture be which says, ' God will wage war against Amalek with con- cealed hand! ' You can perceive that the con- cealed power of God was in Christ the crucified, before whom demons, and all the principalities and powers of the earth, tremble."
CHAP. L. — IT IS PROVED FROM ISAIAH THAT JOHN IS THE PRECURSOR OF CHRIST.
And Trypho said, " You seem to me to have come out of a great conflict with many persons about all the points we have been searching into, and therefore quite ready to return answers to all questions put to you. Answer me then, first, how you can show that there is another God be- sides the Maker of all things; and then you will show, [further], that He submitted to be born of the Virgin."
* Matt. xvii. 12.
^ Num. xi. 17,.ipoken of the seventy elders. Justin confuses what is said here with Num. xxvii 18 and Dent, xxxiv. 9.
3 The meaning is, that no division of person took place. Elijah remained the same after as before his spirit was shed on John.
I replied, " Give me permission first of all to quote certain passages from the prophecy of Isaiah, which refer to the office of forerunner discharged by John the Baptist and prophet be- fore this our Lord Jesus Christ."
" I grant it," said he.
Then I said, " Isaiah thus foretold John's fore- running: ' And Hezekiah said to Isaiah, Good is the word of the Lord which He spake: Let there be peace and righteousness in my days.' 5 And, ' Encourage the people; ye priests, speak to the heart of Jerusalem, and encourage her, because her humiliation is accomplished. Her sin is annulled; for she has received of the Lord's hand double for her sins. A voice of one cry- ing in the wilderness, Prepare the ways of the Lord; make straight the paths of our God. Every valley shall be filled up, and every moua- tain and hill shall be brought low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough way shall be plain ways; and the glory of the Lord thall be seen, and all fle.sh shall see the sal- vation of God: for the Lord hath spoken it. A voice of one saying, Cr}'; and I said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass has with- ered, and the flower of it has fallen away; but the word of the Lord endureth for ever. Thou that bringest good tidings to Zion, go up to the high mountain; thou that bringest good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up thy voice with strength. Lift ye up, be not afraid; tell the cities of Judah, Behold your God! Behold, the Lord comes with strength, and [His] arm comes with author- ity. Behold, His reward is with Him, and His work before Him. As a shepherd He will tend His flock, and will gather the lambs with [His] arm, and cheer on her that is with young. Who has measured the water with [his] hand, and the heaven with a span, and all the earth with [his] fist? Who has weighed the mountains, and [put] the valleys into a balance? Who has known the mind of the Lord? And who has been His counsellor, and who shall advise Him? Or with whom did He take counsel, and he in- structed Him? Or who showed Him judgment? Or who made Him to know the way of under- standing? All the nations are reckoned as a drop of a bucket, and as a turning of a balance, and shall be reckoned as spittle. But Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts sufficient for a burnt-offering; and all the nations are con- sidered nothing, and for nothing.' " ^ CHAP. LI. — IT IS PROVED THAT THIS PROPHECY HAS BEEN FULFILLED.
And when I ceased, Trypho said, "All the words of the prophecy you repeat, sir, are am- 5 Tsa. xxxix. 8. ^ Isa. xl. 1-17.
DIALOGUE WITH TRYPHO.
221 biguous, and have no force in proving what you wish to prove." Then I answered, " If the prophets had not ceased, so that there were no more in your nation, Trypho, after this John, it is evident that what I say in reference to Jesus Christ might be regarded perhaps as ambiguous. But if John came first calhng on men to repent, and Christ, while [John] still sat by the river Jordan, ha/ing come, put an end to his proph- esying and baptizing, and preached also Himself, saying that the kingdom of heaven is at hand, and that He must suffer many things from the Scribes and Pharisees, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again, and would appear again in Jerusalem, and would again eat and drink with His disciples; and foretold that in the interval between His [first and second] advent, as I pre- viously said,' priests and false prophets would arise in His name, which things do actually ap- pear; then how can they be ambiguous, when you may be persuaded by the facts? Moreover, He referred to the fact that there would be no longer in your nation any prophet, and to the fact that men recognised how that the New Tes- tament, which God formerly announced [His intention of] promulgating, was then present, i.e.,