Chapter LXIV.—Justin adduces other proofs to the Jew, who denies that he needs this Christ.

Here Trypho said, “Let Him be recognised as Lord and Christ and God, as the Scriptures declare, by you of the Gentiles, who have from His name been all called Christians; but we who are servants of God that made this same [Christ], do not require to confess or worship Him.”

To this I replied, “If I were to be quarrelsome and light-minded like you, Trypho, I would no longer continue to converse with you, since you are prepared not to understand what has been said, but only to return some captious answer;241    Literally, “but only sharpen yourselves to say something.” but now, since I fear the judgment of God, I do not state an untimely opinion concerning any one of your nation, as to whether or not some of them may be saved by the grace of the Lord of Sabaoth. Therefore, although you act wrongfully, I shall continue to reply to any proposition you shall bring forward, and to any contradiction which you make; and, in fact, I do the very same to all men of every nation, who wish to examine along with me, or make inquiry at me, regarding this subject. Accordingly, if you had bestowed attention on the Scriptures previously quoted by me, you would already have understood, that those who are saved of your own nation are saved through this242    [Or, “this one.”] [man], and partake of His lot; and you would not certainly have asked me about this matter. I shall again repeat the words of David previously quoted by me, and beg of you to comprehend them, and not to act wrongfully, and stir each other up to give merely some contradiction. The words which David speaks, then, are these: ‘The Lord has reigned; let the nations be angry: [it is] He who sits upon the cherubim; let the earth be shaken. The Lord is great in Zion; and He is high above all the nations. Let them confess Thy great name, for it is fearful and holy; and the honour of the king loves judgment. Thou hast prepared equity; judgment and righteousness hast Thou performed in Jacob. Exalt the Lord our God, and worship the footstool of His feet; for He is holy. Moses and Aaron among His priests, and Samuel among them that call upon His name; they called on the Lord, and He heard them. In the pillar of the cloud He spake to them; for they kept His testimonies and His commandments which He gave them.’243    Ps. xcix. 1–7. And from the other words of David, also previously quoted, which you foolishly affirm refer to Solomon, [because] inscribed for Solomon, it can be proved that they do not refer to Solomon, and that this [Christ] existed before the sun, and that those of your nation who are saved shall be saved through Him. [The words] are these: ‘O God, give Thy judgment to the king, and Thy righteousness unto the king’s son. He shall judge244    Or, “to judge,” as in chap. xxxiv. Thy people with righteousness, and Thy poor with judgment. The mountains shall take up peace to the people, and the little hills righteousness. He shall judge the poor of the people, and shall save the children of the needy, and shall abase the slanderer: and He shall co-endure with the sun, and before the moon unto all generations;’ and so on until, ‘His name endureth before the sun, and all tribes of the earth shalt be blessed in Him. All nations shall call Him blessed. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things: and blessed be His glorious name for ever and ever: and the whole earth shall be filled with His glory. Amen, Amen.’245    Ps. lxxii. 1, etc. And you remember from other words also spoken by David, and which I have mentioned before, how it is declared that He would come forth from the highest heavens, and again return to the same places, in order that you may recognise Him as God coming forth from above, and man living among men; and [how it is declared] that He will again appear, and they who pierced Him shall see Him, and shall bewail Him. [The words] are these: ‘The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth His handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge: They are not speeches or words whose voices are heard. Their sound has gone out through all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world. In the sun has he set his habitation; and he, like a bridegroom going forth from his chamber, will rejoice as a giant to run his race: from the highest heaven is his going forth, and he returns to the highest heaven, and there is not one who shall be hidden from his heat.’ ”246    Ps. xix. 1–6.

[64] Καὶ ὁ Τρύφων: Ἔστω ὑμῶν, τῶν ἐξ ἐθνῶν, κύριος καὶ Χριστὸς καὶ θεὸς γνωριζόμενος, ὡς αἱ γραφαὶ σημαίνουσιν, οἵτινες καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ ὀνόματος αὐτοῦ Χριστιανοὶ καλεῖσθαι πάντες ἐσχήκατε: ἡμεῖς δέ, τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ καὶ αὐτὸν τοῦτον ποιήσαντος λατρευταὶ ὄντες, οὐ δεόμεθα τῆς ὁμολογίας αὐτοῦ οὐδὲ τῆς προσκυνήσεως. Κἀγὼ πρὸς ταῦτα εἶπον: Ὦ Τρύφων, εἰ ὁμοίως ὑμῖν φιλέριστος καὶ κενὸς ὑπῆρχον, οὐκ ἂν ἔτι προσέμενον κοινωνῶν ὑμῖν τῶν λόγων, οὐ συνιέναι τὰ λεγόμενα παρασκευαζομένοις, ἀλλά τι λέγειν μόνον θήγουσιν ἑαυτούς: νῦν δέ, ἐπεὶ κρίσιν θεοῦ δέδοικα, οὐ φθάνω ἀποφαίνεσθαι περὶ οὐδενὸς τῶν ἀπὸ τοῦ γένους ὑμῶν, εἰ μήτι ἐστὶν ἀπὸ τῶν κατὰ χάριν τὴν ἀπὸ κυρίου Σαβαὼθ σωθῆναι δυναμένων. διὸ κἂν ὑμεῖς πονηρεύησθε, προσμενῶ πρὸς ὁτιοῦν προβαλεῖσθε καὶ ἀντιλέγετε ἀποκρινόμενος: καὶ τὸ αὐτὸ καὶ πρὸς πάντας ἁπλῶς τοὺς ἐκ παντὸς γένους ἀνθρώπων, συζητεῖν ἢ πυνθάνεσθαί μου περὶ τούτων βουλομένους πράττω. ὅτι οὖν καὶ οἱ σωζόμενοι ἀπὸ τοῦ γένους τοῦ ὑμετέρου διὰ τούτου σώζονται καὶ ἐν τῇ τούτου μερίδι εἰσί, τοῖς προλελεγμένοις ὑπ' ἐμοῦ ἀπὸ τῶν γραφῶν εἰ προσεσχήκειτε, ἐνενοήκειτε ἂν ἤδη, κἀμὲ δῆλον ὅτι περὶ τούτου οὐκ ἂν ἠρωτήσατε. πάλιν δὲ ἐρῶ τὰ προλελεγμένα μοι ἀπὸ τοῦ Δαυείδ, καὶ ἀξιῶ ὑμᾶς πρὸς τὸ συνιέναι, μὴ πρὸς τὸ πονηρεύεσθαι καὶ ἀντιλέγειν μόνον ἑαυτοὺς ὀτρῦναι. Εἰσὶν οὖν οἱ λόγοι, οὕς φησιν ὁ Δαυείδ, οὗτοι: Ὁ κύριος ἐβασίλευσεν, ὀργιζέσθωσαν λαοί: ὁ καθήμενος ἐπὶ τῶν χερουβίμ, σαλευθήτω ἡ γῆ. κύριος ἐν Σιὼν μέγας καὶ ὑψηλός ἐστιν ἐπὶ πάντας τοὺς λαούς. ἐξομολογησάσθωσαν τῷ ὀνόματί σου τῷ μεγάλῳ, ὅτι φοβερὸν καὶ ἅγιόν ἐστι, καὶ τιμὴ βασιλέως κρίσιν ἀγαπᾷ. σὺ ἡτοίμασας εὐθύτητας, κρίσιν καὶ δικαιοσύνην ἐν Ἰακὼβ σὺ ἐποίησας. ὑψοῦτε κύριον τὸν θεὸν ἡμῶν καὶ προσκυνεῖτε τῷ ὑποποδίῳ τῶν ποδῶν αὐτοῦ, ὅτι ἅγιός ἐστι. Μωυσῆς καὶ Ἀαρὼν ἐν τοῖς ἱερεῦσιν αὐτοῦ, καὶ Σαμουὴλ ἐν τοῖς ἐπικαλουμένοις τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ: ἐπεκαλοῦντο τὸν κύριον, καὶ αὐτὸς εἰσήκουεν αὐτῶν. ἐν στύλῳ νεφέλης ἐλάλει πρὸς αὐτούς, ὅτι ἐφύλασσον τὰ μαρτύρια αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὰ προστάγματα αὐτοῦ ἃ ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς. καὶ ἐν ἄλλοις, τοῖς καὶ αὐτοῖς προανιστορημένοις, διὰ τοῦ Δαυεὶδ λεχθεῖσι λόγοις, οὓς εἰς Σολομῶνα ἀνοήτως φάσκετε εἰρῆσθαι, ἐπιγεγραμμένους εἰς Σολομῶνα, ἐξ ὧν καὶ τὸ ὅτι εἰς Σολομῶνα οὐκ εἴρηνται ἀποδείκνυται, καὶ ὅτι οὗτος καὶ πρὸ τοῦ ἡλίου ἦν, καὶ οἱ ἀπὸ τοῦ λαοῦ ὑμῶν σωζόμενοι δι' αὐτοῦ σωθήσονται. εἰσὶ δὲ οὗτοι: Ὁ θεός, τὸ κρίμα σου τῷ βασιλεῖ δὸς καὶ τὴν δικαιοσύνην σου τῷ υἱῷ τοῦ βασιλέως: κρινεῖ τὸν λαόν σου ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ καὶ τοὺς πτωχούς σου ἐν κρίσει. ἀναλαβέτωσαν τὰ ὄρη τῷ λαῷ εἰρήνην καὶ οἱ βουνοὶ δικαιοσύνην. κρινεῖ τοὺς πτωχοὺς τοῦ λαοῦ, καὶ σώσει τοὺς υἱοὺς τῶν πενήτων, καὶ ταπεινώσει συκοφάντην: καὶ συμπαραμενεῖ τῷ ἡλίῳ καὶ πρὸ τῆς σελήνης γενεὰς γενεῶν: καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ ἄχρι τοῦ: Πρὸ τοῦ ἡλίου διαμένει τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ. καὶ ἐνευλογηθήσονται ἐν αὐτῷ πᾶσαι αἱ φυλαὶ τῆς γῆς: πάντα τὰ ἔθνη μακαριοῦσιν αὐτόν. εὐλογητὸς κύριος, ὁ θεὸς Ἰσραήλ, ὁ ποιῶν θαυμάσια μόνος, καὶ εὐλογητὸν τὸ ὄνομα τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος: καὶ πληρωθήσεται τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ πᾶσα ἡ γῆ. γένοιτο, γένοιτο. καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἄλλων ὧν προεῖπον ὁμοίως διὰ Δαυεὶδ λελέχθαι λόγων, ὅτι ἀπ' ἄκρων τῶν οὐρανῶν προέρχεσθαι ἔμελλεν καὶ πάλιν εἰς τοὺς αὐτοὺς τόπους ἀνιέναι ἐμηνύετο, ἀναμνήσθητε, ἵνα καὶ θεὸν ἄνωθεν προελθόντα καὶ ἄνθρωπον ἐν ἀνθρώποις γενόμενον γνωρίσητε, καὶ πάλιν ἐκεῖνον παραγενησόμενον, ὃν ὁρᾶν μέλλουσι καὶ κόπτεσθαι οἱ ἐκκεντήσαντες αὐτόν. εἰσὶ δὲ οὗτοι: Οἱ οὐρανοὶ διηγοῦνται δόξαν θεοῦ, ποίησιν δὲ χειρῶν αὐτοῦ ἀναγγέλλει τὸ στερέωμα. ἡμέρα τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐρεύγεται ῥῆμα, καὶ νὺξ τῇ νυκτὶ ἀναγγέλλει γνῶσιν. οὐκ εἰσὶ λαλιαὶ οὐδὲ λόγοι, ὧν οὐχὶ ἀκούονται αἱ φωναὶ αὐτῶν. εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν ἐξῆλθεν ὁ φθόγγος αὐτῶν καὶ εἰς τὰ πέρατα τῆς οἰκουμένης τὰ ῥήματα αὐτῶν. ἐν τῷ ἡλίῳ ἔθετο τὸ σκήνωμα αὐτοῦ, καὶ αὐτὸς ὡς νυμφίος ἐκπορευόμενος ἐκ παστοῦ αὐτοῦ, ἀγαλλιάσεται ὡς γίγας δραμεῖν ὁδόν. ἀπ' ἄκρου τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἡ ἔξοδος αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὸ κατάντημα αὐτοῦ ἕως ἄκρου τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ὃς ἀποκρυβήσεται τῆς θέρμης αὐτοῦ.