15. And I have held in utter contempt the doctrine of the Simon
Puhlic approval requested of the Emperor.
judgment, and publish tin's little book, that our customs Ap-l. may be explained to others as well as yourselves, so that these ^^'
^'^" things may be known to men, and that they may have the power of being freed from erroneous opinions and ignorance of good, who are at present subject by'' their own fault to punisliment, that what I have said may be made known: because it is in the nature of man to know good and evil, and because in condemning us, whom they know not, of such actions as they term shameful, while they take pleasure in gods who do such, and, even now, require the like from men ; in punishing us, as if we did such things, with death or chains, or some other like infliction, they condemn themselves.
Hence there is no need of other judges.
15. And I have held in utter contempt the doctrine of the Simon wicked and deceitful Simon of my own nation, and if you an im^ subscribe this work, I will unmask him to them all, thatP°^*°''* Chnsthey may, if possible, change their opinion; for it is on this tian doc account alone that I have composed this treatise.
Ourg'iQ"^^^^ doctrines, however, are not to a sane judgment shameful, ^^rue. but they surpass all human wisdom.
If not so, they are at least unlike those of the Sotadists, the Philaenidians, the dancers, the Epicureans, and other like doctrines of the poets, with wdiich when enacted'' and written, all are allowed to acquaint themselves.
I will now' conclude, having done* Kom6v. what I can, and prayed that all men may in every land be vouchsafed the truth.
May you too, in a manner worthy of piety and philosophy, decide for your ovm sakes with justice.
P riapo.
We have here given to sense in his prologue, and in Book v. this word a sense equivalent to that of chap.
39.
See also S. Justin's the Latin preposition per, as suggested Dialogue with Trvpho, §. 88. by the Benedictine, and approved by i He seems to mean, as Thirlby Otto, S. Irenseus uses it in the same observes, on the stage.
THE
DIALOGUE OF
S. JUSTIN MARTYR
WITH
TRYPHO THE JEW.
S.Justin 1. As 1 was one morning pacing the walks of the Xystus% ^^^\ a person in company with others met me, and addressing 'me, said, *' Good morrow, Philosopher."
He then turned about and walked with me, as also did his friends ; whilst I in my turn accosted him ; *' What would you have with me. Sir?" I said.
"I was instructed," he replied, "by Corinthus the Socratic at Argos, not to pass by or neglect those who wear your dress, but rather to shew them every attention in my power, and to hold conversation with them, if haply they or myself might thus gain some improvement from our intercourse, for it would be well for both if either should thus be benefited.
And for this reason, when I see any one in such a dress, I gladly accost him ; and was accordingly just now much pleased to be able to introduce myself to you, and these other persons come along with me, with the same hope of hearing something of value from you."
"Who are you then, excellent Sir ?" I replied with a smile.
He told me frankly who and what he was.
" My name," he said, "is Trypho^.
I am a Hebrew of the circumcision, who have made my escape from the late war^, and I live at » From Eusebius' History, book iv.
Cochbas, which lasted from A.D. 132 chap. 18. we learn, that the scene of to 135, and in which Jerusalem was the following Dialogue was Ephesus. taken by Hadrian, when 580,000 Jews ^ Eusebius speaks of Trypho, as are said to have perished.
St. Justin " themostdistinguishedof the Hebrews alludes to the same event in his longer of his time."
Hist, book iv. chap. 18.
Apology, §. 31, 32.
* This war was the war of Bar-
Trypho accosts the Writer as a Philosopher.
present in Greece, and chiefly at Corinth."
" How then,"
Dial. said I, " can you derive so great benefit from philosophy as ^Y^' from your own lawgiver and prophets ?"
" Why not ?" he answered, " Are not all the discourses of the Philosophers about God, and their disquisitions, enquiries into His Unity' 5nd Providence?
Or is it not the veryi^ovapemployment of philosophy to enquire into the nature of x^*^* the Deity?"
"Yes," I said, "these are our principles also; but most of the Philosophers are entirely indifferent as to whether there be one or many Gods, and whether their providential care is exercised over each of us or not; regarding this knowledge as in no way conducive to happiness.
They even endeavour to prove to us, that God regards indeed the universal, and the genus and species, but that of me and you and the individual He takes no care ; or there would be no need for us to pray to Him night and day.
It is easy to perceive to v/hat end this reasoning conducts them.
It confers a fearlessness and freedom both on the teachers and on the disciples, allowing all to do and to say whatever they please, without dreading any punishment or expecting any reward at tlie hand of God.
How indeed can it be otherwise with those who assert that things will ever continue as they are now, and that you and 1 shall live in the next life just as we do in this, without being either better or worse 'i?
But others % who maintain the soul to be immortal and incorporeal, think it impossible that they should be punished even if they commit sin; because if the soul is incorporeal, it is incapable ot" suffering; and ir* immortal, they hold that they have no need of any thing further from God."
" Tell us," he then said politely smiling, " v/liat is your opinion of these things, and what you think about God, and what is your philosophy."
2. "I will tell you,"
replied, "what is my own cons. Jusviction on the subject.
Philosophy is indeed the greatest ^|"^^ ^^ of treasures, and most precious in the sight of God, to Stoics, whom it alone introduces and unites man ; and they wiio nists,and , , , u goreans.
•1 He seems to refer to the notion of Vi< tney iiii'i been.
^ the Fatalist Stoics of his clay, that all ^ These are t^latonists, of whom St. th ngs would come round again exactly J jstin makes meiiti xi in section 0.
St. Justin s trial of several sects of Philosophers.
Just, have applied their minds to it are the really holy; but the ^-^^* many have not divined what this Philosophy is, and for what end it is sent down to man, otherwise there would not be at the same time such persons as Platonists, Stoics, Peripatetics, Theoretics'', and Pythagoreans, this knowledge being always one and the same ; but I \vill now tell you ^TToXvliow it eventually became thus 'many-headed; they who Kpauos.
^^,^^ applied themselves to Philosophy, and became celebrated in consequence, happened to be followed by some who paid no regard to truth, but being struck merely by the fortitude
^y^ and temperance of their teachers, with the ^ novelty of their doctrines, considered that to be truth which they had learnt each from his own master ; and they in their turn delivered to their successors some such and other like notions, so that they became known each by the name of the first author of their doctrine.
" And when I w^as at first desirous, for my own part, of holding converse with one of them, I put myself under the tuition of a Stoic.
After I had lived a long time with him and had gained no certain knowledge of God, (for this he knew not himself, nor did he consider such knowledge necessary,) I left him, and went to a Peripatetic, a shrewd teacher as he thought himself.
He endured my presence for some days, but then requested me to fix a remuneration, that our 'intercourse might not be without profit.
On this account I left him, not thinking him worthy of the name of a Philosopher ; but my mind still hankering after whatever was peculiar and valuable in philosophy, I joined a very celebrated Pythagorean, a man who prided himself greatly upon his wisdom ; but when I informed him of my wish to become his hearer and disciple, "Are you then familiar," he asked, " with music, astronomy, and geometry ? or how can you hope to comprehend any of the things which tend
' The Theoretics are not usually ornamental part, with reasoning; and named among the sects of Philosophers, the third, the summit and crown of hut their name denotes that they gave all, with speculation and meditation; themselves especially to contemplation, in which sense," he continues, " S.
" Isidore of Pelusium," says the BeneJustin here uses the term Theoretics; dictine on the passage, " divides Phijustly attacking them along with other losophy into three kinds, of which the sects, as true Philosophy ought to be first, which serves as a foundation, is commended no less for action than for pccupitd with action ; the second, or contemplation."