Chapter LXXI.—The Jews reject the interpretation of the LXX., from which, moreover, they have taken away some passages.

“But I am far from putting reliance in your teachers, who refuse to admit that the interpretation made by the seventy elders who were with Ptolemy [king] of the Egyptians is a correct one; and they attempt to frame another. And I wish you to observe, that they have altogether taken away many Scriptures from the translations effected by those seventy elders who were with Ptolemy, and by which this very man who was crucified is proved to have been set forth expressly as God, and man, and as being crucified, and as dying; but since I am aware that this is denied by all of your nation, I do not address myself to these points, but I proceed270    Or, “profess.” to carry on my discussions by means of those passages which are still admitted by you. For you assent to those which I have brought before your attention, except that you contradict the statement, ‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive,’ and say it ought to be read, ‘Behold, the young woman shall conceive.’ And I promised to prove that the prophecy referred, not, as you were taught, to Hezekiah, but to this Christ of mine: and now I shall go to the proof.”

Here Trypho remarked, “We ask you first of all to tell us some of the Scriptures which you allege have been completely cancelled.”

[71] Ἀλλ' οὐχὶ τοῖς διδασκάλοις ὑμῶν πείθομαι, μὴ συντεθειμένοις καλῶς ἐξηγεῖσθαι τὰ ὑπὸ τῶν παρὰ Πτολεμαίῳ τῷ Αἰγυπτίων γενομένῳ βασιλεῖ ἑβδομήκοντα πρεσβυτέρων, ἀλλ' αὐτοὶ ἐξηγεῖσθαι πειρῶνται. καὶ ὅτι πολλὰς γραφὰς τέλεον περιεῖλον ἀπὸ τῶν ἐξηγήσεων τῶν γεγενημένων ὑπὸ τῶν παρὰ Πτολεμαίῳ γεγενημένων πρεσβυτέρων, ἐξ ὧν διαρρήδην οὗτος αὐτὸς ὁ σταυρωθεὶς ὅτι θεὸς καὶ ἄνθρωπος καὶ σταυρούμενος καὶ ἀποθνήσκων κεκηρυγμένος ἀποδείκνυται, εἰδέναι ὑμᾶς βούλομαι: ἅς, ἐπειδὴ ἀρνεῖσθαι πάντας τοὺς ἀπὸ τοῦ γένους ὑμῶν ἐπίσταμαι, ταῖς τοιαύταις ζητήσεσιν οὐ προσβάλλω, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τὰς ἐκ τῶν ὁμολογουμένων ἔτι παρ' ὑμῖν τὰς ζητήσεις ποιεῖν ἔρχομαι. καὶ γὰρ ὅσας ὑμῖν ἀνήνεγκα ταύτας γνωρίζετε, πλὴν ὅτι περὶ τῆς λέξεως, τῆς Ἰδοὺ ἡ παρθένος ἐν γαστρὶ λήψεται, ἀντείπατε, λέγοντες εἰρῆσθαι: Ἰδοὺ ἡ νεᾶνις ἐν γαστρὶ λήψεται. καὶ ὑπεσχόμην ἀπόδειξιν ποιήσασθαι οὐκ εἰς Ἑζεκίαν, ὡς ἐδιδάχθητε, τὴν προφητείαν εἰρῆσθαι ἀλλ' εἰς τοῦτον τὸν ἐμὸν Χριστόν: καὶ δὴ τὴν ἀπόδειξιν ποιήσομαι. Καὶ ὁ Τρύφων εἶπε: Πρῶτον ἀξιοῦμεν εἰπεῖν σε ἡμῖν καί τινας ὧν λέγεις τέλεον παραγεγράφθαι γραφῶν.