Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho

Then Trypho said, “I admit that such and so great arguments are sufficient to persuade one; but I wish [you] to know that I ask you for the proof which you have frequently proposed to give me. Proceed then to make this plain to us, that we may see how you prove that that [passage] refers to this Christ of yours. For we assert that the prophecy relates to Hezekiah.” And I replied, “I shall do as you wish. But show me yourselves first of all how it is said of Hezekiah, that before he knew how to call father or mother, he received the power of Damascus and the spoils of Samaria in the presence of the king of Assyria. For it will not be conceded to you, as you wish to explain it, that Hezekiah waged war with the inhabitants of Damascus and Samaria in presence of the king of Assyria. ‘For before the child knows how to call father or mother,’ the prophetic word said, ‘He shall take the power of Damascus and spoils of Samaria in presence of the king of Assyria.’ For if the Spirit of prophecy had not made the statement with an addition, ‘Before the child knows how to call father or mother, he shall take the power of Damascus and spoils of Samaria,’ but had only said, ‘And shall bear a son, and he shall take the power of Damascus and spoils of Samaria,’ then you might say that God foretold that he would take these things, since He foreknew it. But now the prophecy has stated it with this addition: ‘Before the child knows how to call father or mother, he shall take the power of Damascus and spoils of Samaria.’ And you cannot prove that such a thing ever happened to any one among the Jews. But we are able to prove that it happened in the case of our Christ. For at the time of His birth, Magi who came from Arabia worshipped Him, coming first to Herod, who then was sovereign in your land, and whom the Scripture calls king of Assyria on account of his ungodly and sinful character. For you know,” continued I, “that the Holy Spirit oftentimes announces such events by parables and similitudes; just as He did towards all the people in Jerusalem, frequently saying to them, ‘Thy father is an Amorite, and thy mother a Hittite.’295 Ezek. xvi. 3.

[77] Καὶ ὁ Τρύφων εἶπεν: Ὅτι μὲν οὖν καὶ τοιαῦτα καὶ τοσαῦτα ἱκανὰ δυσωπῆσαί ἐστι, σύμφημί σοι: ὅτι δὲ ἀπαιτῶ σε τὸν λόγον, ὃν πολλάκις προεβάλλου, ἀποδεῖξαι, εἰδέναι σε βούλομαι. περαίωσον οὖν καὶ αὐτὸν ἡμῖν, ἵνα ἴδωμεν καὶ ὡς ἐκεῖνον εἰς Χριστὸν τοῦτον τὸν ὑμέτερον ἀποδεικνύεις εἰρῆσθαι: ἡμεῖς γὰρ εἰς Ἑζεκίαν αὐτὸν λέγομεν πεπροφητεῦσθαι. Κἀγὼ ἔφην: Ὡς βούλεσθε, καὶ τοῦτο πράξω: ἀποδείξατε δέ μοι ὑμεῖς πρῶτον ὅτι εἰς τὸν Ἑζεκίαν εἴρηται, ὅτι, πρὶν ἢ γνῶναι αὐτὸν καλεῖν πατέρα ἢ μητέρα, ἔλαβε δύναμιν Δαμασκοῦ καὶ τὰ σκῦλα Σαμαρείας ἔναντι βασιλέως Ἀσσυρίων. Οὐ γὰρ ὡς βούλεσθε ἐξηγεῖσθαι συγχωρηθήσεται ὑμῖν, ὅτι Ἑζεκίας ἐπολέμησε τοῖς ἐν Δαμασκῷ ἢ ἐν Σαμαρείᾳ ἔναντι βασιλέως Ἀσσυρίων. Πρὶν ἢ γὰρ γνῶναι τὸ παιδίον καλεῖν πατέρα ἢ μητέρα, ὁ προφητικὸς λόγος ἔφη, λήψεται δύναμιν Δαμασκοῦ καὶ σκῦλα Σαμαρείας ἔναντι βασιλέως Ἀσσυρίων. εἰ γὰρ μὴ μετὰ προσθήκης ταῦτα εἶπε τὸ προφητικὸν πνεῦμα: Πρὶν ἢ γνῶναι τὸ παιδίον καλεῖν πατέρα ἢ μητέρα λήψεται δύναμιν Δαμασκοῦ καὶ σκῦλα Σαμαρείας, ἀλλὰ μόνον εἰρήκει: καὶ τέξεται υἱὸν καὶ λήψεται δύναμιν Δαμασκοῦ καὶ σκῦλα Σαμαρείας, ἐδύνασθε λέγειν: Ἐπειδὴ προεγίνωσκεν ὁ θεὸς μέλλειν αὐτὸν λήψεσθαι ταῦτα, προειρήκει. νῦν δὲ μετὰ τῆς προσθήκης ταύτης εἴρηκεν ἡ προφητεία: Πρὶν ἢ γνῶναι τὸ παιδίον καλεῖν πατέρα ἢ μητέρα λήψεται δύναμιν Δαμασκοῦ καὶ σκῦλα Σαμαρείας. καὶ οὐδενὶ τῶν ἐν Ἰουδαίοις ποτὲ συμβεβηκέναι τοῦτο ἀποδεῖξαι ἔχετε, ἡμεῖς δὲ ἔχομεν ἀποδεῖξαι τοῦτο γενόμενον ἐν τῷ ἡμετέρῳ Χριστῷ. ἅμα γὰρ τῷ γεννηθῆναι αὐτὸν μάγοι ἀπὸ Ἀρραβίας παραγενόμενοι προσεκύνησαν αὐτῷ, πρότερον ἐλθόντες πρὸς Ἡρώδην τὸν ἐν τῇ γῇ ὑμῶν τότε βασιλεύοντα, ὃν ὁ λόγος καλεῖ βασιλέα Ἀσσυρίων διὰ τὴν ἄθεον καὶ ἄνομον αὐτοῦ γνώμην. ἐπίστασθε γὰρ τοιαῦτα, ἔφην, ἐν παραβολαῖς καὶ ὁμοιώσεσι πολλάκις λαλοῦν τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα: οἷον πεποίηκε καὶ πρὸς τὸν λαὸν ἅπαντα τὸν ἐν Ἰεροσολύμοις, πολλάκις φῆσαν πρὸς αὐτούς: Ὁ πατήρ σου Ἀμορραῖος καὶ ἡ μήτηρ σου Χετταία.