Chapter XXXVI.—He proves that Christ is called Lord of Hosts.

Then he replied, “Let these things be so as you say—namely, that it was foretold Christ would suffer, and be called a stone; and after His first appearance, in which it had been announced He would suffer, would come in glory, and be Judge finally of all, and eternal King and Priest. Now show if this man be He of whom these prophecies were made.”

And I said, “As you wish, Trypho, I shall come to these proofs which you seek in the fitting place; but now you will permit me first to recount the prophecies, which I wish to do in order to prove that Christ is called both God and Lord of hosts, and Jacob, in parable by the Holy Spirit; and your interpreters, as God says, are foolish, since they say that reference is made to Solomon and not to Christ, when he bore the ark of testimony into the temple which he built. The Psalm of David is this: ‘The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and all that dwell therein. He hath founded it upon the seas, and prepared it upon the floods. Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in His holy place? He that is clean of hands and pure of heart: who has not received his soul in vain, and has not sworn guilefully to his neighbour: he shall receive blessing from the Lord, and mercy from God his Saviour. This is the generation of them that seek the Lord, that seek the face of the God of Jacob.92    Maranus remarks from Thirlby: “As Justin wrote a little before, ‘and is called Jacob in parable,’ it seems to convince us that Justin wrote, ‘thy face, O Jacob.’ ” [The meaning in this latter case becomes plain, if we observe that “O Israel” is equivalent to, and means, “O house of Jacob:” an apostrophe to the Church of the ancient people.] Lift up your gates, ye rulers; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty in battle. Lift up your gates, ye rulers; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory.’93    Ps. xxiv. Accordingly, it is shown that Solomon is not the Lord of hosts; but when our Christ rose from the dead and ascended to heaven, the rulers in heaven, under appointment of God, are commanded to open the gates of heaven, that He who is King of glory may enter in, and having ascended, may sit on the right hand of the Father until He make the enemies His footstool, as has been made manifest by another Psalm. For when the rulers of heaven saw Him of uncomely and dishonoured appearance, and inglorious, not recognising Him, they inquired, ‘Who is this King of glory?’ And the Holy Spirit, either from the person of His Father, or from His own person, answers them, ‘The Lord of hosts, He is this King of glory.’ For every one will confess that not one of those who presided over the gates of the temple at Jerusalem would venture to say concerning Solomon, though he was so glorious a king, or concerning the ark of testimony, ‘Who is this King of glory?’

[36] Κἀκεῖνος ἀπεκρίνατο: Ἔστω καὶ ταῦτα οὕτως ἔχοντα ὡς λέγεις, καὶ ὅτι παθητὸς Χριστὸς προεφητεύθη μέλλειν εἶναι, καὶ λίθος κέκληται, καὶ ἔνδοξος μετὰ τὴν πρώτην αὐτοῦ παρουσίαν, ἐν ᾗ παθητὸς φαίνεσθαι κεκήρυκτο, ἐλευσόμενος καὶ κριτὴς πάντων λοιπὸν καὶ αἰώνιος βασιλεὺς καὶ ἱερεὺς γενησόμενος: εἰ οὗτος δέ ἐστι περὶ οὗ ταῦτα προεφητεύθη, ἀπόδειξον. Κἀγώ: Ὡς βούλει, ὦ Τρύφων, ἐλεύσομαι πρὸς ἃς βούλει ταύτας ἀποδείξεις ἐν τῷ ἁρμόζοντι τόπῳ, ἔφην: τὰ νῦν δὲ συγχωρήσεις μοι πρῶτον ἐπιμνησθῆναι ὧνπερ βούλομαι προφητειῶν, εἰς ἐπίδειξιν ὅτι καὶ θεὸς καὶ κύριος τῶν δυνάμεων ὁ Χριστὸς καὶ Ἰακὼβ καλεῖται ἐν παραβολῇ ὑπὸ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος, καὶ οἱ παρ' ὑμῖν ἐξηγηταί, ὡς θεὸς βοᾷ, ἀνόητοί εἰσι, μὴ εἰς τὸν Χριστὸν εἰρῆσθαι λέγοντες ἀλλ' εἰς Σολομῶνα, ὅτε εἰσέφερε τὴν σκηνὴν τοῦ μαρτυρίου εἰς τὸν ναὸν ὃν ᾠκοδόμησεν. ἔστι δὲ ψαλμὸς τοῦ Δαυεὶδ οὗτος: Τοῦ κυρίου ἡ γῆ καὶ τὸ πλήρωμα αὐτῆς, ἡ οἰκουμένη καὶ πάντες οἱ κατοικοῦντες ἐν αὐτῇ. αὐτὸς ἐπὶ θαλασσῶν ἐθεμελίωσεν αὐτήν, καὶ ἐπὶ ποταμῶν ἡτοίμασεν αὐτήν. τίς. ἀναβήσεται εἰς τὸ ὄρος τοῦ κυρίου, ἢ τίς στήσεται ἐν τόπῳ ἁγίῳ αὐτοῦ; ἀθῷος χερσὶ καὶ καθαρὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ, ὃς οὐκ ἔλαβεν ἐπὶ ματαίῳ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ καὶ οὐκ ὤμοσεν ἐπὶ δόλῳ τῷ πλησίον αὐτοῦ. οὗτος λήψεται εὐλογίαν παρὰ κυρίου καὶ ἐλεημοσύνην παρὰ θεοῦ σωτῆρος αὐτοῦ. αὕτη ἡ γενεὰ ζητούντων τὸν κύριον, ζητούντων τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ θεοῦ Ἰακώβ. ἄρατε πύλας, οἱ ἄρχοντες ὑμῶν, καὶ ἐπάρθητε, πύλαι αἰώνιοι, καὶ εἰσελεύσεται ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς δόξης. τίς ἐστιν οὗτος ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς δόξης; κύριος κραταιὸς καὶ δυνατὸς ἐν πολέμῳ. ἄρατε πύλας οἱ ἄρχοντες ὑμῶν, καὶ ἐπάρθητε, πύλαι αἰώνιοι, καὶ εἰσελεύσεται ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς δόξης. τίς ἐστιν οὗτος ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς δόξης; κύριος τῶν δυνάμεων, αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς δόξης. κύριος οὖν τῶν δυνάμεων ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ Σολομὼν ἀποδέδεικται: ἀλλὰ ὁ ἡμέτερος Χριστὸς ὅτε ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀνέστη καὶ ἀνέβαινεν εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν, κελεύονται οἱ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς ταχθέντες ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ ἄρχοντες ἀνοῖξαι τὰς πύλας τῶν οὐρανῶν, ἵνα εἰσέλθῃ οὗτος ὅς ἐστι βασιλεὺς τῆς δόξης, καὶ ἀναβὰς καθίσῃ ἐν δεξιᾷ τοῦ πατρός, ἕως ἂν θῇ τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ὑποπόδιον τῶν ποδῶν αὐτοῦ, ὡς διὰ τοῦ ἄλλου ψαλμοῦ δεδήλωται. ἐπειδὴ γὰρ οἱ ἐν οὐρανῷ ἄρχοντες ἑώρων ἀειδῆ καὶ ἄτιμον τὸ εἶδος καὶ ἄδοξον ἔχοντα αὐτόν, οὐ γνωρίζοντες αὐτόν, ἐπυνθάνοντο: Τίς ἐστιν οὗτος ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς δόξης; καὶ ἀποκρίνεται αὐτοῖς τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον ἢ ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ πατρὸς ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἰδίου: Κύριος τῶν δυνάμεων, αὐτὸς οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς δόξης. ὅτι γὰρ οὔτε περὶ Σολομῶνος, ἐνδόξου οὕτω βασιλέως ὄντος, οὔτε περὶ τῆς σκηνῆς τοῦ μαρτυρίου τῶν ἐφεστώτων ταῖς πύλαις τοῦ ναοῦ τῶν Ἰεροσολύμων ἐτόλμησεν ἄν τις εἰπεῖν: Τίς ἐστιν οὗτος ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς δόξης; πᾶς ὁστισοῦν ὁμολογήσει.