1. I was walking early one morning in the covered walk
THE DIALOGUE WITH TRYPHO OF THE
HOLY JUSTIN, PHILOSOPHER AND MARTYR.
I. How the Discussion with Trypho Began.
1. I was walking early one morning in the covered walk belonging to the Colonnade! when a man, with some companions, met me, and said, "Hullo, Philosopher!".
And so saying he turned and walked along beside me, and his friends turned along with him.
I in turn greeted him, and said, "Well:"
He answered: "I was taught in Argos by Corinthus the Socratic philosopher that people who wear the sort of dress which you are wearing should not be despised nor neglected, but they should be treated courteously and associated with in case some profit might result from the association, either to the other man or to me.
For it is an advantage for both if either be helped.
For this reason, whenever I see anyone in this dress, I approach him in a friendly way, and I was glad to accost you just now on the same principle, and these friends are accompanying me because they too expect to hear something useful from you."
"But who art thou, bravest of mortal men?'
I playfully replied to him.?
> was how _ He told me straightforwardly both his name and his race.
"I am called Trypho," he said; "I am a Hebrew, 1Probably at Ephesus.
*A quotation from Homer, the Shakespeare of men educated in ancient Greek culture.
from the circumcision, a refugee from the present warl, and have spent a long time in Greece and in Corinth."
"Then," said I, "how could you possibly derive as much benefit from philosophy as you do from your own Fovewer and from the prophets?"
"Why not?
Do not the philosophers occupy all their discussion with the subject of God2" was his reply. "And their arguments on either side are about God's sole sovereignty and His providence. Or is not this the function 2 philosophy, to enquire about the divine?"
"Yes," I said, "this is what we think too.
But the majority of philosophers are not interested in the subject of whether there is one God or many gods, and whether these gods take providential care of each one of us or not, on the grounds that this knowledge would achieve nothing towards gaining happiness.
On the contrary, they try to persuade us that God does concern Himself about the whole universe and about the genera and species themselves, but not as far as about me and you and individual cases, because otherwise we would be praying to Him all night and all day. But it is not difficult to see where this argument finally leads them; for those who hold these opinions the result is irresponsibility and liberty both in word and in conduct, to do and to say whatever they like, because they have no fear of punishment and no hope of reward from God.
'What else could happen:
They declare that the same events will recur eternally, and that you and I will live our lives again in just the same way without getting either better or worse.
Another school 1This means the final Jewish revolt against the Romans, under Bar
Cochba, which lasted from 132-135.
But this Dialogue must have been written long after that period.
2An alternative (but not on the whole preferable) translation would run: "the result is irresponsibility and licence to utter these views and to follow those who hold them, and to do and say whatever they like".
presuppose that the soul is eternal and bodiless and that if they do anything wrong they think that they will not pay any penalty (for what is bodiless is incapable of suffering), and neither do they need anything more from God because the soul is immortal."
In reply he smiled urbanely and said, "Tell us what you think on these subjects and what belief you have about God and what your philosophy is."
2. "I will tell you what seems true to me at any rate,"
I said.
"There is a genuine philosophy which is the best possession and one most honoured by God, and it alone leads us and commends us to God; and those who occupy their mind with philosophy are the really holy people.
But most people have forgotten what philosophy is and the reason why it was sent down to men.
Otherwise they would not be Platonists nor Stoics nor Peripatetics nor Speculatives, nor Pythagoreans, in spite of the existence of this unique science.
I would like to explain how philosophy became divided into schools.
It happened that those who first took it up and in consequence became famous were followed by the next generation who carried on no research about the truth but simply, impressed by their predecessors' perseverance and self-discipline and by the unusual quality of their utterances, thought that those doctrines were true which each man had learnt from his teacher; next they themselves, when they handed on to their juniors teachings such as these and others consistent with them, came to be called by that name by which the author of the system had been called.
I too for my part was anxious like the others to meet one of these teachers, and I attached myself to a Stoic teacher.
And when I had studied a long time with him, since no further information about God came to me
(for he was not a believer in God himself and he did not think this doctrine essential), I rid myself of this teacher and
went to another, who called himself a Peripatetic and had a reputation as a shrewd man.
And when he had put up with me for the first few days he decided then that the scale of his fees should be determined, so that our association should not be without profit.
That was why I left him, thinking that he was no philosopher at all.
But as my soul was still bursting to hear the peculiar and choice secret of philosophy,
I moved on to a man who was very well spoken of, a Pythagorean, one who had devoted much thought to philosophy.
And when I was anxious to become a hearer and disciple of his and entered into conversation with him, he said "Well?
Have you studied music and astronomy and geometry?
Or do you think that you will perceive any of the things which assist towards happiness unless you have first learnt the studies which will detach the soul from tangible things and will render it able for intellectual things so that it can contemplate the Beautiful and the Truly Good?'
When he had greatly praised these disciplines and declared them essential he sent me away, because I had acknowledged that I did not know them.
I was upset therefore, as I well might be, because I was disappointed, and all the more because I conjectured that he did have some knowledge; but again when I calculated the time which I would be likely to spend on those disciplines, I could not bear to postpone everything for so long.
In this state of resourcelessness it occurred to me to try the Platonists, for their fame was considerable.
And consequently I constantly associated with a very learned man who had recently come to live in our town, and who was eminent among the Platonists, and I was making progress and improving more and more every day. Their conception of the bodiless things was attracting me greatly and the contemplation of the Ideas was exciting my mind and I thought that I had become wise in a short time, and in my stupidity I hoped to have a vision of God