Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho

And Trypho answered, “We shall remember this your exposition, if you strengthen [your solution of] this difficulty by other arguments: but now resume the discourse, and show us that the Spirit of prophecy admits another God besides the Maker of all things, taking care not to speak of the sun and moon, which, it is written,172 Deut. iv. 19, an apparent [i.e., evident] misinterpretation of the passage. [But see St. John x. 33–36.] God has given to the nations to worship as gods; and oftentimes the prophets, employing173 Or, “misusing.” this manner of speech, say that ‘thy God is a God of gods, and a Lord of lords,’ adding frequently, ‘the great and strong and terrible [God].’ For such expressions are used, not as if they really were gods, but because the Scripture is teaching us that the true God, who made all things, is Lord alone of those who are reputed gods and lords. And in order that the Holy Spirit may convince [us] of this, He said by the holy David, ‘The gods of the nations, reputed gods, are idols of demons, and not gods;’174 Ps. xcvi. 5. and He denounces a curse on those who worship them.”

And I replied, “I would not bring forward these proofs, Trypho, by which I am aware those who worship these [idols] and such like are condemned, but such [proofs] as no one could find any objection to. They will appear strange to you, although you read them every day; so that even from this fact we175 Com. reading, “you;” evidently wrong. understand that, because of your wickedness, God has withheld from you the ability to discern the wisdom of His Scriptures; yet [there are] some exceptions, to whom, according to the grace of His long-suffering, as Isaiah said, He has left a seed of176 Literally, “for.” salvation, lest your race be utterly destroyed, like Sodom and Gomorrah. Pay attention, therefore, to what I shall record out of the holy Scriptures, which177 Two constructions, “which” referring either to Scriptures as whole, or to what he records from them. Last more probable. do not need to be expounded, but only listened to.

[55] Καὶ ὁ Τρύφων ἀπεκρίνατο: Μεμνησόμεθα καὶ ταύτης τῆς ἐξηγήσεώς σου, ἐὰν καὶ δι' ἄλλων κρατύνῃς καὶ τοῦτο τὸ ἀπόρημα. τὰ νῦν δὲ ἤδη ἀναλαβὼν τὸν λόγον ἀπόδειξον ἡμῖν ὅτι ἕτερος θεὸς παρὰ τὸν ποιητὴν τῶν ὅλων ὑπὸ τοῦ προφητικοῦ πνεύματος ὡμολόγηται εἶναι, φυλαξάμενος λέγειν τὸν ἥλιον καὶ τὴν σελήνην, ἃ γέγραπται τοῖς ἔθνεσι συγκεχωρηκέναι τὸν θεὸν ὡς θεοὺς προσκυνεῖν: καὶ τούτῳ τῷ λόγῳ ὡς παραχρώμενοι προφῆται πολλάκις λέγουσιν ὅτι Ὁ θεός σου θεὸς τῶν θεῶν ἐστι καὶ κύριος τῶν κυρίων, προστιθέντες ὁ μέγας καὶ ἰσχυρὸς καὶ φοβερὸς πολλάκις. οὐ γὰρ ὡς ὄντων θεῶν ταῦτα λέγεται, ἀλλ' ὡς τοῦ λόγου διδάσκοντος ἡμᾶς ὅτι τῶν νομιζομένων θεῶν καὶ κυρίων ὁ τῷ ὄντι θεός, ὁ τὰ πάντα ποιήσας, κύριος μόνος ἐστίν. ἵνα γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο ἐλέγξῃ τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα, διὰ τοῦ ἁγίου Δαυεὶδ εἶπεν: Οἱ θεοὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν, νομιζόμενοι θεοί, εἴδωλα δαιμονίων εἰσίν, ἀλλ' οὐ θεοί. καὶ ἐπάγει κατάραν τοῖς ποιοῦσιν αὐτὰ καὶ προσκυνοῦσι. Κἀγώ: Οὐ ταύτας μὲν τὰς ἀποδείξεις ἔμελλον φέρειν, εἶπον, ὦ Τρύφων, δι' ὧν καταδικάζεσθαι τοὺς ταῦτα καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα προσκυνοῦντας ἐπίσταμαι, ἀλλὰ τοιαύτας πρὸς ἃς ἀντειπεῖν μὲν οὐδεὶς δυνήσεται. ξέναι δέ σοι δόξουσιν εἶναι, καίπερ καθ' ἡμέραν ἀναγινωσκόμεναι ὑφ' ὑμῶν, ὡς καὶ ἐκ τούτου συνεῖναι ὑμᾶς ὅτι διὰ τὴν ὑμετέραν κακίαν ἀπέκρυψεν ὁ θεὸς ἀφ' ὑμῶν τὸ δύνασθαι νοεῖν τὴν σοφίαν τὴν ἐν τοῖς λόγοις αὐτοῦ, πλήν τινων, οἷς κατὰ χάριν τῆς πολυσπλαγχνίας αὐτοῦ, ὡς ἔφη Ἠσαίας, ἐγκατέλιπε σπέρμα εἰς σωτηρίαν, ἵνα μὴ ὡς Σοδομιτῶν καὶ Γομορραίων τέλεον καὶ τὸ ὑμέτερον γένος ἀπόληται. προσέχετε τοιγαροῦν οἷσπερ μέλλω ἀναμιμνήσκειν ἀπὸ τῶν ἁγίων γραφῶν, οὐδὲ ἐξηγηθῆναι δεομένων ἀλλὰ μόνον ἀκουσθῆναι.