89. Trypho said, "You can be sure that all our people
baptism there had to be an indication for men so that they should know who was the Christ.
But when John was sitting on Jordan's bank and preaching the baptism of repentance, and was wearing only a girdle made of hide and a garment of camel's hair, and ate nothing except locusts and wild honey, people thought that he was the Christ.
He openly declared to them, 'I am not the Christ, but the voice of one who is crying aloud; for one more powerful than I will come whose sandals I am not worthy to carry.'
And Jesus came to the Jordan and was thought to be the son of Joseph the carpenter, and, as the Scriptures proclaimed, he
- looked unlovely2, and was regarded as just a carpenter (when he lived among men he used to make these articles of carpentry, ploughs and yokes, in order to teach by this means the symbols of right living and an active life). Then the Holy Spirit, as I have already said, perched upon him in the form of a dove for the sake of these people, and a voice came from the heavens, Thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee}; the voice meant that his birth as far as men were concerned took place at the point from which it began to be known who he was."
89. Trypho said, "You can be sure that all our people are expecting the Christ, and, as you say, all the Scriptures speak about him; we admit this.
And I acknowledge that the name Jesus (Joshua) has impressed me, for it was given to the son of Nun and also applies here*.
But we doubt if 1A conflation of John 1:20,23 and Matt. 3:11. asa: 53:2,3.
3Ps, 2:7; only a minority of manuscripts at Luke 3:23 give the Voice's utterance in this form; it is interesting to find Justin supporting this reading.
"The version of the name Joshua in the Septuagint is precisely the same as the Greek version of the name Jesus; the two are in Hebrew or Aramaic etymologically connected.
This far from remarkable coincidence deeply impressed many of the writers of the early Church, including Justin, who uses it several times.
the Christ could have been crucified in this dishonourable way for he who is crucified is said in the law to be cursed, so that on that point I am most unwilling to be convinced.
It is clear indeed that the Scriptures declare that the Christ is destined to suffer, but if it is to be through a form of suffering cursed in the law, we would like to know if you have any proofs on this point."
"If the Christ was not destined to suffer," I said to him, "and the prophets had not foretold that he will be led to execution because of the lawless acts of the people and he will be dishonoured and will be scourged and will be numbered among the transgressors and. will be led as a sheep to the slaughter, and the prophet declares that no one will be able to declare his race?, then there would be good reason for bewilderment.
But if this prophecy is what delineates him and informs everybody, why should we not confidently believe in him:
Whoever knows the writings of the prophets will say it is he, and nobody else, once they have heard that this man was crucified."
90.
"Lead us too forward, then," he said, "by quoting the Scriptures so that we too may be convinced.
We know indeed that the Christ suffers and is destined to be led away like a sheep}.
But demonstrate to us whether he is also destined to be crucified and to die so shamefully and dishonourably a death which is cursed in the law. We cannot reach such a conception."
"I know," I said, "that what the prophets said and did, as has been admitted on your side, they concealed in figures and types so that most of their utterances are not easily understood by everybody, and they obscured the truth in them so that students have to take trouble to find and to learn."
Deut. 21:23.
Isa. 53: 8,3,4,12,7,8.
© SIsan 5537.