Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho

And when I had ceased, Trypho said, “These and such like Scriptures, sir, compel us to wait for Him who, as Son of man, receives from the Ancient of days the everlasting kingdom. But this so-called Christ of yours was dishonourable and inglorious, so much so that the last curse contained in the law of God fell on him, for he was crucified.”

Then I replied to him, “If, sirs, it were not said by the Scriptures which I have already quoted, that His form was inglorious, and His generation not declared, and that for His death the rich would suffer death, and with His stripes we should be healed, and that He would be led away like a sheep; and if I had not explained that there would be two advents of His,—one in which He was pierced by you; a second, when you shall know Him whom you have pierced, and your tribes shall mourn, each tribe by itself, the women apart, and the men apart,—then I must have been speaking dubious and obscure things. But now, by means of the contents of those Scriptures esteemed holy and prophetic amongst you, I attempt to prove all [that I have adduced], in the hope that some one of you may be found to be of that remnant which has been left by the grace of the Lord of Sabaoth for the eternal salvation. In order, therefore, that the matter inquired into may be plainer to you, I will mention to you other words also spoken by the blessed David, from which you will perceive that the Lord is called the Christ by the Holy Spirit of prophecy; and that the Lord, the Father of all, has brought Him again from the earth, setting Him at His own right hand, until He makes His enemies His footstool; which indeed happens from the time that our Lord Jesus Christ ascended to heaven, after He rose again from the dead, the times now running on to their consummation; and he whom Daniel foretells would have dominion for a time, and times, and an half, is even already at the door, about to speak blasphemous and daring things against the Most High. But you, being ignorant of how long he will have dominion, hold another opinion. For you interpret the ‘time’ as being a hundred years. But if this is so, the man of sin must, at the shortest, reign three hundred and fifty years, in order that we may compute that which is said by the holy Daniel— ‘and times’—to be two times only. All this I have said to you in digression, in order that you at length may be persuaded of what has been declared against you by God, that you are foolish sons; and of this, ‘Therefore, behold, I will proceed to take away this people, and shall take them away; and I will strip the wise of their wisdom, and will hide the understanding of their prudent men;’82 Isa. xxix. 14. and may cease to deceive yourselves and those who hear you, and may learn of us, who have been taught wisdom by the grace of Christ. The words, then, which were spoken by David, are these:83 Ps. cx. ‘The Lord said unto My Lord, Sit Thou at My right hand, until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool. The Lord shall send the rod of Thy strength out of Sion: rule Thou also in the midst of Thine enemies. With Thee shall be, in the day, the chief of Thy power, in the beauties of Thy saints. From the womb, before the morning star, have I begotten Thee. The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent: Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek. The Lord is at Thy right hand: He has crushed kings in the day of His wrath: He shall judge among the heathen, He shall fill [with] the dead bodies.84 πληρώσει πτώματα; Lat. version, implebit ruinas. Thirlby suggested that an omission has taken place in the mss. by the transcriber’s fault. He shall drink of the brook in the way; therefore shall He lift up the head.’

[32] Καὶ ὁ Τρύφων παυσαμένου μου εἶπεν: Ὦ ἄνθρωπε, αὗται ἡμᾶς αἱ γραφαὶ καὶ τοιαῦται ἔνδοξον καὶ μέγαν ἀναμένειν τὸν παρὰ τοῦ παλαιοῦ τῶν ἡμερῶν ὡς υἱὸν ἀνθρώπου παραλαμβάνοντα τὴν αἰώνιον βασιλείαν ἀναγκάζουσιν: οὗτος δὲ ὁ ὑμέτερος λεγόμενος Χριστὸς ἄτιμος καὶ ἄδοξος γέγονεν, ὡς καὶ τῇ ἐσχάτῃ κατάρᾳ τῇ ἐν τῷ νόμῳ τοῦ θεοῦ περιπεσεῖν: ἐσταυρώθη γάρ. Κἀγὼ πρὸς αὐτόν: Εἰ μέν, ὦ ἄνδρες, μὴ ἀπὸ τῶν γραφῶν, ὧν προανιστόρησα, τὸ εἶδος αὐτοῦ ἄδοξον καὶ τὸ γένος αὐτοῦ ἀδιήγητον, καὶ ἀντὶ τοῦ θανάτου αὐτοῦ τοὺς πλουσίους θανατωθήσεσθαι, καὶ τῷ μώλωπι αὐτοῦ ἡμεῖς ἰάθημεν, καὶ ὡς πρόβατον ἀχθήσεσθαι ἐλέγετο, καὶ δύο παρουσίας αὐτοῦ γενήσεσθαι ἐξηγησάμην, μίαν μὲν ἐν ᾗ ἐξεκεντήθη ὑφ' ὑμῶν, δευτέραν δὲ ὅτε ἐπιγνώσεσθε εἰς ὃν ἐξεκεντήσατε, καὶ κόψονται αἱ φυλαὶ ὑμῶν, φυλὴ πρὸς φυλήν, αἱ γυναῖκες κατ' ἰδίαν καὶ οἱ ἄνδρες κατ' ἰδίαν, ἀσαφῆ καὶ ἄπορα ἐδόκουν λέγειν: νῦν δὲ διὰ πάντων τῶν λόγων ἀπὸ τῶν παρ' ὑμῖν ἁγίων καὶ προφητικῶν γραφῶν τὰς πάσας ἀποδείξεις ποιοῦμαι ἐλπίζων τινὰ ἐξ ὑμῶν δύνασθαι εὑρεθῆναι ἐκ τοῦ κατὰ χάριν τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ κυρίου Σαβαὼθ περιλειφθέντος εἰς τὴν αἰώνιον σωτηρίαν. οὖν καὶ σαφέστερον ὑμῖν τὸ ζητούμενον νῦν γένηται, ἐρῶ ὑμῖν καὶ ἄλλους λόγους τοὺς εἰρημένους διὰ Δαυεὶδ τοῦ μακαρίου, ἐξ ὧν καὶ κύριον τὸν Χριστὸν ὑπὸ τοῦ ἁγίου προφητικοῦ πνεύματος λεγόμενον νοήσετε, καὶ τὸν κύριον πάντων πατέρα ἀνάγοντα αὐτὸν ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς καὶ καθίζοντα αὐτὸν ἐν δεξιᾷ αὐτοῦ, ἕως ἂν θῇ τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ὑποπόδιον τῶν ποδῶν αὐτοῦ: ὅπερ γίνεται ἐξ ὅτου εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀνελήφθη μετὰ τὸ ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναστῆναι ὁ ἡμέτερος κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστός, τῶν χρόνων συμπληρουμένων καὶ τοῦ βλάσφημα καὶ τολμηρὰ εἰς τὸν ὕψιστον μέλλοντος λαλεῖν ἤδη ἐπὶ θύραις ὄντος, ὃν καιρὸν καὶ καιροὺς καὶ ἥμισυ καιροῦ διακαθέξειν Δανιὴλ μηνύει. καὶ ὑμεῖς, ἀγνοοῦντες πόσον χρόνον διακατέχειν μέλλει, ἄλλο ἡγεῖσθε: τὸν γὰρ καιρὸν ἑκατὸν ἔτη ἐξηγεῖσθε λέγεσθαι. εἰ δὲ τοῦτό ἐστιν, εἰς τὸ ἐλάχιστον τὸν τῆς ἀνομίας ἄνθρωπον τριακόσια πεντήκοντα ἔτη βασιλεῦσαι δεῖ, ἵνα τὸ εἰρημένον ὑπὸ τοῦ ἁγίου Δανιήλ, καὶ καιρῶν, δύο μόνους καιροὺς λέγεσθαι ἀριθμήσωμεν. καὶ ταῦτα δὲ πάντα ἃ ἔλεγον ἐν παρεκβάσεσι λέγω πρὸς ὑμᾶς, ἵνα ἤδη ποτὲ πεισθέντες τῷ εἰρημένῳ καθ' ὑμῶν ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ, ὅτι Υἱοὶ ἀσύνετοί ἐστε, καὶ τῷ Διὰ τοῦτο ἰδοὺ προσθήσω τοῦ μεταθεῖναι τὸν λαὸν τοῦτον, καὶ μεταθήσω αὐτούς, καὶ ἀφελῶ τὴν σοφίαν τῶν σοφῶν καὶ τὴν σύνεσιν τῶν συνετῶν αὐτῶν κρύψω, παύσησθε καὶ ἑαυτοὺς καὶ τοὺς ὑμῶν ἀκούοντας πλανῶντες, καὶ παρ' ἡμῶν μανθάνοντες τῶν σοφισθέντων ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ χάριτος. εἰσὶν οὖν καὶ οἱ λόγοι οἱ διὰ Δαυεὶδ λεχθέντες οὗτοι: Εἶπεν ὁ κύριος τῷ κυρίῳ μου: Κάθου ἐκ δεξιῶν μου, ἕως ἂν θῶ τοὺς ἐχθρούς σου ὑποπόδιον τῶν ποδῶν σου. ῥάβδον δυνάμεως ἐξαποστελεῖ σοι κύριος ἐκ Σιών: καὶ κατακυρίευε ἐν μέσῳ τῶν ἐχθρῶν σου. μετὰ σοῦ ἡ ἀρχὴ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ τῆς δυνάμεώς σου: ἐν ταῖς λαμπρότησι τῶν ἁγίων σου, ἐκ γαστρὸς πρὸ ἑωσφόρου ἐγέννησά σε. ὤμοσε κύριος καὶ οὐ μεταμεληθήσεται: Σὺ ἱερεὺς εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Μελχισεδέκ. κύριος ἐκ δεξιῶν σου: συνέθλασεν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ὀργῆς αὐτοῦ βασιλεῖς. κρινεῖ ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι, πληρώσει πτώματα. ἐκ χειμάρρου ἐν ὁδῷ πίεται: διὰ τοῦτο ὑψώσει κεφαλήν.