14. St. Justin teaches that the soul is not immortal in the sense that it cannot
st. justin martyr souls, too, of necessity, are begotten. Perhaps there is a time when they do not exist, for they were created for the sake of men and other living creatures, even if you claim that they have been begotten separately by themselves, and not together with their own bodies.'
"'I think you are right.'
"'Souls, then, are not immortal.'14
"'No,' I said, 'since it appears that the world itself was generated.'
3. "'On the other hand,' he continued, 'I do not claim that any soul ever perishes, for this would certainly be a benefit to sinners. What happens to them? The souls of the devout dwell in a better place, whereas the souls of the unjust and the evil abide in a worse place, and there they await the judgment day.
Those, therefore, who are deemed worthy to see God will never perish, but the others will be subjected to punishment as long as God allows them to exist and as long as he wants them to be punished.'15
4. "'Does not your assertion agree with what Plato taught in his Timaeus 16 concerning the world, namely, that it can be destroyed, since it is a created thing, but that it will not be destroyed or be destined for destruction since such is the will of God? Don't you think that the same thing could be said of the soul and, in short, of all other creatures? For, whatever exists or shall exist after God has a nature subject to corruption, and therefore capable of complete annihilation, for only God is unbegotten and incorruptible. For this reason he is God, and all other things after him are created and corruptible.
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5. "'This is also the reason why souls die and are punished, for, if they were unbegotten, they would not have sinned, nor have become so foolish; they would not have been so timid at one time, and so daring at another; nor would they, of their
14. St. Justin teaches that the soul is not immortal in the sense that it cannot be destroyed, but that it is immortal in the sense that, by the grace of God, it will live forever. See van Winden, 86–87.
15. These words merely show that God could, if he desired, reduce all souls to nothingness. See M. Young, "Justin Martyr and The Death of Souls," SP 16.2
(TU 129; 1985), 209–15.
16. See Plato, Timaeus 41AB; van Winden, 92–94.
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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