11. Patrology, vol. 1, The Beginnings of Patristic Literature (Westminster, Md.:
Introduction to this Edition xiii The question, To whom is Justin's Dialogue addressed? has been raised by, among others, C. H. Cosgrove,8 with a variety of solutions, well summarized by T. Rajak,9 who examines various possibilities: to win over pagan Gentiles, to engage literate Jews in a discussion on, predominantly, Old Testament texts, or, more likely, to reinforce a Christian readership in its belief that it had superseded the Mosaic Law and supplanted Judaism as the New Israel. Marcovich prefers the view that it was primarily addressed to Gentiles who were leaning toward Judaism.10
On the question of style, Justin has had more than his share of harsh critics, e.g., J. Quasten: "He digresses, his thought is disjointed, he has a failing for long-spun sentences,"11 or Marcovich: "In brief, Justin is too often obscure."12 But H. F.
Stander, in a close stylistic study of a few samples, hopefully preliminary to a larger investigation, shows that the prevalent critical verdict is often re-cycled and unnecessarily harsh.13
In a few masterful sentences K. Hopkins has pigeon-holed the unique contribution of Justin to the Graeco-Roman, JudeoChristian, second century world:
Jesus, for Justin, was the principle of world order, humanity's great revealer and savior. His incarnation, teaching, and death constituted a key stage in God's grand creative plan, an end to the power of demons, who are the Gods of the Romans.l.l.l. But his main objective
Brown Judaic Studies 7 (Missoula, Mont.: Scholars Press, 1979); D. C. Trakatellis, "Justin Martyr's Trypho," HThR 79 (1986): 287–97; G. I. Gargano,
"L'anziano incontrato di Giustino. Un amico del Logos? O il Logos stesso?" in Geist und Erkenntnis: zu spirituellen Grundlagen Europas: Festschrift zum 65. Geburtstag von Prof. ThDr. Tomásˇ Sˇpidlík SJ, ed. K. Mácha (München: Minerva Publikation, 1985), 41–65; G. W. Willems, "La juif Tryfon et rabbi Tarfon," Bijdragen
50 (1989): 278–92.
8. "Justin Martyr and the Emerging Christian Canon," VigChr 36 (1982):
209–32.
9. "Talking at Trypho: Christian Apologetics as anti-Judaism in Justin's Dialogue with Trypho the Jew," in Apologetics in the Roman Empire: Pagans, Jews, and Christians, ed. M. Edwards et al. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999),
59–80.
10. Marcovich, 64–65.
11. Patrology, vol. 1, The Beginnings of Patristic Literature (Westminster, Md.:
Newman Press, 1962), 197.
Copyright © 2003. Catholic University of America Press. All rights reserved.
12. Marcovich, viii.
13. "Is Justin Really a Bad Stylist?" Second Century 5.4 (1985/86): 226–32.
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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