22. The Books of Kings do not expressly state such a fact, although it could

The Messiah: already here or still to come?

nations shall call him blessed. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who alone does wonderful things. And blessed be the name of his majesty forever, even for ever and ever, and the whole earth shall be ﬁlled with his majesty. So be it. So be it. 21 And this psalm ends with these words: The praises of David, the son of Jesse, are ended.

7. "Now, we all know that Solomon was the great and famous king, who constructed the renowned temple at Jerusalem. But it is equally evident to all that none of the things foretold in the above-mentioned psalm happened to him, for not all the kings adored him, nor did his power extend to the ends of the earth, nor did his enemies fall down prostrate before him and lick the ground. [8] Furthermore, I do not hesitate to quote the Book of Kings, where it is written that Solomon committed idolatry at Sidon22 for the sake of a woman. On the contrary, the Gentiles who know God, the Creator of the world, through the cruciﬁed

Jesus, would rather endure every torture and pain, even death itself, than worship idols, or eat meat sacriﬁced to idols."

21. Ps 71 (72).1–20. See Skarsaune, 84–85; Enrico dal Covolo, "'Regno di Dio' nel Dialogo di Giustino con Trifone Giudeo," AugR 28 (1988): 111–23.

22. The Books of Kings do not expressly state such a fact, although it could possibly refer to 1 Kgs 11.5–6. Some think that the words "at Sidon" were originally a marginal note, later incorporated into the text by some transcriber.

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

Created from nottingham on 2021-08-20 07:56:45.

D I V I S I O N S A M O N G C H R I S T I A N S

c h a p t e r 35 At this point, Trypho interrupted me by saying, "Indeed I know that there are many who profess their faith in Jesus and are considered to be Christians, yet they claim there is no harm in their eating meats sacriﬁced to idols."

2. "The fact that there are such men," I replied, "who pretend to be Christians and confess the cruciﬁed Jesus as their

Lord and Christ, yet profess not his doctrines, but those of the spirits of error,1 only tends to make us adherents of the true and pure Christian doctrine more ardent in our faith and more ﬁrm in the hope he announced to us. As we look about us, we see events actually taking place which he predicted would happen in his name.

3. "Indeed, he foretold, Many shall come in my name, clothed outwardly in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.2

And, There shall be schisms and heresies.3 And, Beware of false prophets, who come to you in clothing of sheep, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.4 And, There shall arise many false Christs and false apostles, and they shall deceive many of the faithful. 5

4. "My friends, there were, and still are, many men who, in the name of Jesus, come and teach others atheistic and blas1. See 1 Tm 4.1.

2. Mt 24.5; 7.15. See Massaux, 52.

3. 1 Cor 11.18. See A. Le Boulluec, "Remarques à propos du problème de 1 Cor. 11,19 et du <logion> de Justin, Dialogue 35," SP 12.1 (= TU 115; 1975),

328–33, which reviews the literature.

4. Mt 7.15.

5. Mt 24.11, 24. See Massaux, 54.

Created from nottingham on 2021-08-20 07:56:45.

Divisions among Christians

phemous doctrines and actions; we call them by the name of the originator of each false doctrine.

5. "For others teach, each in his own peculiar method, how to blaspheme the Creator of the universe, and Christ, whose advent was foretold by him, and the God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob. They are all outside of our communion, for we know them for what they are, impious atheists and wicked sinners, men who profess Jesus in name only, but do not really worship him.

6. "These men call themselves Christians in much the same way as some Gentiles engrave the name of God upon their statues, and then indulge in every kind of wicked and atheistic rite.

Some of these heretics are called Marcionites,6 some Valentinians, some Basilidians, and some Saturnilians, and others by still other names, each designated by the name of the founder of the system, just as each person who deems himself a philosopher, as I stated at the beginning of this discussion, claims that he must bear the name of the philosophy he favors from the founder of that particular school of philosophy.

7. "Not only from these events do we conclude, as I said, that Jesus possessed foreknowledge of what would happen to him, but also from the many other happenings which he predicted would befall those who believe and profess that he is the Messiah. He even foretold all the suffering we would have to bear when those of our own household put us to death. Consequently, we can ﬁnd no fault with either his words or actions.

8. "For this reason, too, we pray for you and for everyone else who hates us, that you may repent with us, and refrain from blaspheming Jesus Christ, who is proved to be totally without blame and reproach by his own deeds and by the miracles which even now are wrought in his name by the words of his teaching and the prophecies concerning him. We pray, also, that you may believe in Jesus Christ, and thus at his second triumphant coming you will be saved and not be condemned by him to the ﬁre of hell."

6. Markiavnoi: not the disciples of Mark, the Valentinian Gnostic, but of Marcion. For these and related groups, see K. Rudolph, Gnosis (San Francisco:

Harper and Row, 1983), 294–326.

Created from nottingham on 2021-08-20 07:56:45.

T H E D I V I N I T Y O F T H E M E S S I A H

c h a p t e r 36 Trypho then said, "It may also be admitted that this is exactly as you say, and that the prophets predicted that Christ was to suffer, that he was to be called a Stone, that his ﬁrst coming in which he was proclaimed to appear in suffering would be followed by another in glory, and that he would thenceforth be the Judge of all men, and the Eternal King and Priest. But prove to us that Jesus Christ is the one about whom these prophecies were spoken."

2. "At the proper time," I replied, "I will supply the proofs you wish, but for the present permit me to quote the following prophecies to show that the Holy Spirit by parable called Christ

God, and Lord of hosts and of Jacob. God himself calls your interpreters stupid 1 because they claim that these prophecies were not spoken of Christ, but of Solomon, when he transported the ark of testimony into the temple built by himself.

3. "This is David's psalm: The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof; the world, and all they who dwell therein. For he has founded it upon the seas, and has prepared it upon the rivers. Who shall ascend into the mountain of the Lord; or who shall stand in his holy place?

The innocent in hands, and clean of heart, who has not taken his soul in vain, nor sworn deceitfully to his neighbor. He shall receive a blessing from the Lord, and mercy from God his Savior. This is the generation of those who seek him, of those who seek the face of the God of Jacob.

4. "Lift up your gates, O you princes, and be you lifted up, O eternal 1. Jer 4.22.

Created from nottingham on 2021-08-20 07:56:45.

The divinity of the Messiah

gates, and the King of Glory shall enter in. Who is this King of Glory?

The Lord who is strong and mighty in battle. Lift up your gates, O ye princes, and be ye lifted up, O eternal gates, and the King of Glory shall enter in. Who is this King of Glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the king of Glory. 2

5. "This proves that Solomon was not the Lord of hosts. But, when our Christ arose from the dead and ascended into heaven, the heavenly princes chosen by God were ordered to open the gates of heaven that the King of Glory might enter, and, after arising, sit at the right hand of the Father until he makes his enemies his footstool (as it is stated in another psalm).3

6. "Now, when these heavenly princes saw that he was in appearance without beauty, honor, or glory,4 and not recognizing him, they asked, Who is this King of Glory? And the Holy Spirit, either in his own name or in the Father's, answered, The Lord of Hosts. He is the King of Glory.5 But I am sure that everyone will admit that none of the gate-keepers of the Temple at Jerusalem ever said of Solomon (though he was ever so glorious a king), or of the ark of testimony, Who is this King of Glory? " c h a p t e r 37 "Christ is thus further described," I continued, "in the stanza of the Forty-sixth Psalm, God is ascended with jubilee, and the Lord with the sound of a trumpet. Sing praises to our God, sing praises; sing praises to our king, sing praises. For God is the king of all the earth, sing wisely. God has reigned over the Gentiles; God sits on his holy throne. The princes of the people are gathered together with the God of Abraham, for the strong ones of the earth are of God, and have been exceedingly exalted.6

2. "And in Psalm Ninety-eight the Holy Spirit reprimands you, and announces that he whom you refuse to recognize as your king is the King and Lord of Samuel, Aaron, Moses, and of every other man.

3. "Here are the words of that psalm: The Lord has reigned, let the peoples be angry. He that sits on the cherubim; let the earth be

2. Ps 23 (24).1–10.

3. Ps 109 (110).1.

4. See Is 53.2–3.

5. Quoted, with commentary on the Ascension, in Daniélou, 261–63.

6. Ps 46 (47).6–10.

Created from nottingham on 2021-08-20 07:56:45.

st. justin martyr moved. The Lord is great in Zion, and high above all peoples. Let them give praise to your great name, for it is terrible, and holy; and the king's honor loves judgment. You have prepared directions; you have done judgment and justice in Jacob. Exalt ye the Lord our God, and adore his footstool, for he is holy.

4. "Moses and Aaron among his priests, and Samuel among them that call upon his name. They called upon the Lord (say the Scriptures), and he heard them. He spoke to them in the pillar of the cloud.

They kept his testimonies, and the commandment which he gave them.

You did hear them, O Lord our God. You were merciful to them, O God, and [yet] taking vengeance on all their inventions. Exalt ye the Lord our God, and adore at his holy mountain; for the Lord our God is holy." 7 c h a p t e r 38 "It would be better for us," Trypho concluded, "to have obeyed our teachers, who warned us not to listen to you Christians, nor to converse with you on these subjects, for you have blasphemed many times in your attempt to convince us that this cruciﬁed man was with Moses and Aaron, and spoke with them in the pillar of the cloud; that he became man, was cruciﬁed, and ascended into heaven, and will return again to this earth; and that he should be worshipped."

2. "I am aware," I replied, "that, as the Word of God testiﬁes, this great wisdom of almighty God, the Creator of all, is concealed from you. It is, therefore, with feelings of pity that I exert every possible effort to help you understand our teachings, which to you seem paradoxical. If I fail, then I shall not be held accountable on judgment day. I shall recount to you other doctrines which may seem even more paradoxical to you, but don't be disturbed; instead of leaving me, become more zealous and inquisitive listeners. At the same time, forsake the tradition of your teachers, for they are convicted by the prophetic Spirit of being incapable of understanding the truths spoken by God, and of preferring to spread their own opinions.

3. "The Forty-fourth Psalm speaks thus of Christ: My heart has uttered a good word; I speak my works to the king. My tongue is the pen

7. Ps 98 (99).1–9.

Created from nottingham on 2021-08-20 07:56:45.

The divinity of the Messiah

of a scribe that writes swiftly. You are beautiful above the sons of men; grace is poured abroad in your lips; therefore, has God blessed you forever. Gird your sword upon your thigh, O you most mighty. With your comeliness and beauty set out, proceed prosperously, and reign, because of truth and meekness and justice; and your right hand shall conduct you wonderfully. Your arrows are sharp, O Mighty One; under you shall people fall; in the heart of the king's enemies.

4. "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; the scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness. You have loved justice, and hated iniquity; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness above your fellow kings. With myrrh and aloes and cassia your robes are fragrant, from ivory palaces gladdening you. The king's daughters have gladdened you for your honor. The queen stood by on your right hand, ﬁtted in gilded clothing, with adornment. Hearken, O daughter, and see, and incline your ear, and forget your people and your father's house. And the king shall greatly desire your beauty, for he is the Lord your God, and him they shall adore.

5. "And the daughter of Tyre shall be there with gifts; the rich among the people shall entreat your countenance. All the glory of the king's daughter is within, in golden borders, clothed round about with varieties. After her shall virgins be brought to the king; her neighbors shall be brought to you. They shall be brought with gladness and rejoicing; they shall be brought into the temple of the king. Instead of your fathers, sons are born to you. You shall make them princes over all the earth. I will remember your name throughout all generations. Therefore shall people praise you forever, and forever and ever." 8

Christians who have grasped the meaning of these truths, and take you to task for your stubborn prejudice. Indeed, Elijah, when interceding for you before God, spoke thus: Lord, they have slain your prophets, and have destroyed your altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life. And God answered:

2. "I still have seven thousand men, whose knees have not been bowed before Baal. 9 Therefore, just as God did not show his anger

8. Ps 44 (45).2–18.

9. 1 Kgs 19.10, 18. See Skarsaune, 95.

Created from nottingham on 2021-08-20 07:56:45.

st. justin martyr on account of those seven thousand men, so now he has not yet exacted judgment of you, because he knows that every day some of you are forsaking your erroneous ways to become disciples in the name of Christ, and this same name of Christ enlightens you to receive all the graces and gifts according to your merits. One receives the spirit of wisdom, another of counsel, another of fortitude, another of healing, another of foreknowledge, another of teaching, and another of the fear of God."10

3. "Don't you realize," interposed Trypho, "that you are out of your mind to say such things?"

4. "Listen to me, you," I retorted, "and I'll prove that I'm not out of my mind when I mention these special gifts. For it was predicted that, after his Ascension into heaven, Christ would free us from the captivity of error and endow us with gifts. Here are the words of the prophecy: He ascended on high; he led captivity captive; he gave gifts to men.11

5. "Thus, having received gifts from Christ, who ascended into heaven, we can show from the prophecies that you who are wise in your own eyes and prudent in your own sight,12 are in reality stupid, for you honor God and his Christ only with your lips.13 We, on the other hand, who have been well instructed in his whole truth, honor them with our actions, our knowledge, and our hearts, even unto death.

6. "The reason why you hesitate to acknowledge that Jesus is the Christ (which is proved by the Scriptures, the events which you yourselves witnessed, and the miracles wrought in his name) is, perhaps, to avoid the harsh persecution of the ofﬁcials, who, inﬂuenced by the serpent (that evil and treacherous spirit), will not cease to persecute and slaughter those who acknowledge the name of Christ until he shall come again to destroy them all and to distribute rewards according to merit."

7. "Prove to us," interrupted Trypho, "that this man who you claim was cruciﬁed and ascended into heaven is the Christ of 10. 1 Cor 12.8–10, 28.

11. Ps 67 (68).19. See Skarsaune, 100, 177: "a Pauline ascension testimony."

12. Is 5.21.

13. See Jer 4.22; Is 29.13.

Created from nottingham on 2021-08-20 07:56:45.

↑ Back to top