57. Said Trypho, when I ceased speaking, ** Scripture Did God
Did God the Son, and Angels, eat with Abraham?
the Scripture shews, Who is also the Lord Who received it Dial. from the Lord in Heaven, that is, the Creator of thel^IIlLuniverse, to bring those judgments on Sodom and Gomorrah, which are recounted in Scripture thus, The Lord rained Gen. 19, upon Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord
' out of heaven.''
57.
Said Trypho, when I ceased speaking, ** Scripture Did God apparently compels us so to confess; but you will yourself '^'^^ ^^°° admit that we may well doubt about what is there written, Abrathat He ate of the meat that Abraham prepared and set before Him."
I replied as follovv^s.
" It is written indeed that they ate, but if we read howevey that those three are said to have eaten, and not the two only, who were in fact angels, and are evidently nourished in heaven, even if they do not take the same kind of food as we men do : for of the manna which your fathers ate in the desert. Scripture says. They Ts. 7S, did eat angels' food, I would suggest, that the Scripture"'^' which speaks of their having eaten, may have the same meaning as when we say of fire, that it devours all things ; but we are not to take it as if when they ate, they used, their teeth, and masticated with their jaws, so that we shall find no difficulty in this passage, if v.e are at all skilled in figurative expressions."
Said Trypho, " it is possible that the difficulty may be thus remedied, as to the manner of eating, where in consuming what Abraham had prepared, it is written that they ate.
Proceed therefore to prove to us how this God, Who was seen by Abraham, and was a minister of the God
Who is Creator of the universe, was born of the Virgin, and made a man, as you say, of like passions with all of us." Acts h,
Then I answered, " First permit me, Trypho, to produce at large some other proofs under this head, that you may be thoroughly convinced of the truth of it, and then I will give you that statement which you require."
"Be it as you please," he said; "and in pursuing this plan, you will do what is very agreeable to me."
58.
Then T said, " I will cite the Scriptures to you The without making any mere artificial display of arguments, for'^V^J^i^^
I have no such skill, for grace alone has been given me by God