17. See R. M. Grant, "Aristotle and the Conversion of Justin," JThS, n.s., 7

How Justin found philosophy

own account, ever have entered into swine, serpents, and dogs.

Furthermore, if they were unbegotten, it would not be right to coerce them, for one who is unbegotten is similar and equal to another unbegotten, nor can he be preferred to the other either in power or in honor.

6. "'We must conclude, therefore, that there are not many beings that are unbegotten, for, if there were some difference between them, you could not, no matter how you searched, ﬁnd the cause of such difference; but, after sending your thought always to inﬁnity, you would ﬁnally become tired and have to stop before the one Unbegotten and declare that he is the cause of all things. Do you think,' I said, 'that these things escaped the notice of Plato and Pythagoras, those wise men who became, so to say, a wall and bulwark of our philosophy?' c h a p t e r 6 "'I don't care,' he answered, 'if Plato or Pythagoras or anyone else held such views.17 What I say is the truth and here is how you may learn it. The soul itself either is life or it possesses life. If it is life, it would cause something else to exist, not itself, just as motion causes something other than itself to move. Now, no one would deny that the soul lives; and if it lives, it does not live as life itself, but as a partaker of life. But, that which partakes of anything is different from that of which it partakes.

Now, the soul partakes of life because God wishes it to live.

2. "'It will no longer partake of life whenever God doesn't wish it to live. For the power to live is not an attribute of the soul as it is of God. As man does not live forever, and his body is not forever united to his soul, since, whenever this union must be discontinued, the soul leaves the body and man no longer exists, so also, whenever the soul must cease to live, the spirit of life is taken from it and it is no more, but it likewise returns to the place of its origin.'

17. See R. M. Grant, "Aristotle and the Conversion of Justin," JThS, n.s., 7 (1956): 246–48; van Winden, 100; and new Introduction, n 5.

Justin, Martyr, Saint. Dialogue with Trypho (Selections from the Fathers of the Church, Volume 3), edited by Michael Slusser, Catholic University of America Press, 2003. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/nottingham/de

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st. justin martyr c h a p t e r 7 "'If these philosophers,' I asked, 'do not know the truth, what teacher or method shall one follow?'

"'A long time ago,' he replied, 'long before the time of those so-called philosophers, there lived blessed men who were just and loved by God, men who spoke through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and predicted events that would take place in the future, which events are now taking place. We call these men the prophets. They alone knew the truth and communicated it to men, whom they neither deferred to nor feared.

With no desire for personal glory, they reiterated only what they heard and saw when inspired by a holy spirit.

2. "'Their writings are still extant, and whoever reads them with the proper faith will proﬁt greatly in his knowledge of the origin and end of things, and of any other matter that a philosopher should know. In their writings they gave no proof at that time of their statements, for, as reliable witnesses of the truth, they were beyond proof; but the happenings that have taken place and are now taking place force you to believe their words.

3. "'They also are worthy of belief because of the miracles which they performed, for they exalted God, the Father and Creator of all things, and made known Christ, his Son, who was sent by him. This the false prophets, who are ﬁlled with an erring and unclean spirit, have never done, nor even do now, but they undertake to perform certain wonders to astound men, and they glorify the demons18 and spirits of error. Above all, beseech God to open to you the gates of light,19 for no one can perceive or understand these truths unless he has been enlightened by God and his Christ.'

Copyright © 2003. Catholic University of America Press. All rights reserved. c h a p t e r 8 "When he had said these and many other things, which it is not convenient to recount right now, he went his way, after ad18. See Hyldahl (cited in new Introduction, n 7), 229. On demons see D. C.

Trakatellis, The Pre-Existence of Christ in the Writings of Justin Martyr (Missoula,

Mont.: Scholars Press, 1976), 96–102.

19. On the gates of light see A. Cacciari, "In margine a Giustino, dial. vii, 3,

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