4. Markovich proposes this emendation, a[nqrwpon <ejx ajnqrwvpwn>, based on

st. justin martyr knowledge that he is the Christ, but claim that he has a merely human origin. I naturally disagree with such persons, nor would I agree with them even if the majority of those who share my opinions were to say so. For we have been told by Christ himself not to follow the teachings of men, but only those which have been announced by the holy prophets and taught by himself." c h a p t e r 49 "It appears to me," said Trypho, "that they who assert that he was of human origin, and was chosen to be anointed and became the Christ, propose a doctrine much more credible than yours. We [Jews] all expect that Christ will be a man of human origin,4 and that Elijah will come5 to anoint him. If this man appears to be the Christ, he must be considered to be a man of human origin, yet, from the fact that Elijah has not yet come, I must declare that this man is not the Christ." 6

2. Then I asked him, "Does not the Word say through Zechariah that Elijah shall come before the great and terrible day of the Lord?"7

"Most assuredly," he replied.

"If, therefore, Scripture forces you to admit that it was predicted that there would be two advents of Christ—one in which he will appear in suffering and without honor or beauty, and the second in which he will return in glory to judge all men, as has been proved by the many previously quoted passages from Scripture—must we not conclude that the word of God has foretold that Elijah will be the forerunner of the great and terrible day, namely, of his second advent?"

"Certainly," was his answer.

3. "We have been taught," I continued, "by our Lord himself that this would be so, namely, that Elijah also would come; and some Jewish Christians in mind. See Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 3.27. On the Ebionites and their modiﬁcations of Scriptures see Daniélou, 55–64, 372–74.

4. Markovich proposes this emendation, a[nqrwpon <ejx ajnqrwvpwn>, based on Dial. 48.1.

5. See Skarsaune, 195.

6. See B. Dehandschutter (cited above, Dial. 31.7 n 1).

7. Not Zechariah, but Mal 3.23 (4.4).

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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The Messiah must be Jesus

we know that this will take place when our Lord Jesus Christ will be about to come from heaven in glory, just as the Spirit of God that was in Elijah, in the person of John, who was a prophet of your race, after whom no other prophet has appeared among you, came forth as the precursor of his ﬁrst advent. For John cried out as he sat by the River Jordan, I indeed baptize you with water, for repentance; but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, and his sandals I am not worthy to bear. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with ﬁre. His winnowing fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly clean out his threshing ﬂoor, and will gather his wheat into the barn; but the chaff he will burn up with unquenchable ﬁre.8

4. "Your King Herod imprisoned this prophet John, and, during Herod's birthday party, his niece's9 dancing pleased him so much that he promised to give her whatever she desired. At her mother's instigation, the young girl asked for the head of the imprisoned John. Thereupon, Herod ordered the head of John to be brought in on a platter.

5. "Wherefore did our Christ, who was on earth at this time, reply to those who were saying that Elijah must come before the appearance of Christ, Elijah indeed is to come and will restore all things. But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him, but did to him whatever they wished.10 And it is added,

Then the disciples understood that he had spoken to them of John the Baptist." 11

6. "You seem to me," replied Trypho, "to be talking paradoxically again when you say that God's prophetic Spirit, which was in Elijah, was also in John."

"Must you not admit," I responded, "that the same thing happened in the case of Joshua, son of Nun, who succeeded

Moses as leader of your people, when Moses was ordered to lay his hands on him, while God himself said, 'I will transfer some of the spirit that is in you to him'? " 12

"That I admit," he replied.

7. "Therefore," I concluded, "as God took the spirit that was 8. Mt 3.11–12; Lk 3.16–17, 20.

9. Literally, "cousin's."

10. Mt 17.10–12.

11. Mt 17.13.

12. Justin may have conﬂated the story of the selection of the seventy elders (Nm 11.16–23) with the election of Joshua (Nm 27.18; Dt 34.9).

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