Chapter CXXI.—From the fact that the Gentiles believe in Jesus, it is evident that He is Christ.

And as they kept silence, I went on: “[The Scripture], speaking by David about this Christ, my friends, said no longer that ‘in His seed’ the nations should be blessed, but ‘in Him.’ So it is here: ‘His name shall rise up for ever above the sun; and in Him shall all nations be blessed.’465    Ps. lxxii. 17. But if all nations are blessed in Christ, and we of all nations believe in Him, then He is indeed the Christ, and we are those blessed by Him. God formerly gave the sun as an object of worship,466    So Justin concludes from Deut. iv. 19; comp. chap. lv. [The explanation is not very difficult (see Rom. i. 28), but the language of Justin is unguarded.] as it is written, but no one ever was seen to endure death on account of his faith in the sun; but for the name of Jesus you may see men of every nation who have endured and do endure all sufferings, rather than deny Him. For the word of His truth and wisdom is more ardent and more light-giving than the rays of the sun, and sinks down into the depths of heart and mind. Hence also the Scripture said, ‘His name shall rise up above the sun.’ And again, Zechariah says, ‘His name is the East.’467    Zech. vi. 12. And speaking of the same, he says that ‘each tribe shall mourn.’468    Zech. xii. 12. But if He so shone forth and was so mighty in His first advent (which was without honour and comeliness, and very contemptible), that in no nation He is unknown, and everywhere men have repented of the old wickedness in each nation’s way of living, so that even demons were subject to His name, and all powers and kingdoms feared His name more than they feared all the dead, shall He not on His glorious advent destroy by all means all those who hated Him, and who unrighteously departed from Him, but give rest to His own, rewarding them with all they have looked for? To us, therefore, it has been granted to hear, and to understand, and to be saved by this Christ, and to recognise all the [truths revealed] by the Father. Wherefore He said to Him: ‘It is a great thing for Thee to be called my servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and turn again the dispersed of Israel. I have appointed Thee for a light to the Gentiles, that Thou mayest be their salvation unto the end of the earth.’469    Isa. xlix. 6.

[121] Καὶ ἡσυχίαν ἀγόντων αὐτῶν ἐπέφερον: Διὰ Δαυεὶδ περὶ τούτου λέγων τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὦ φίλοι, οὐκέτι ἐν τῷ σπέρματι αὐτοῦ εἶπεν εὐλογηθήσεσθαι τὰ ἔθνη, ἀλλὰ ἐν αὐτῷ. οὕτω δὲ ἐκεῖ ἐστι: Τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, ὑπὲρ τὸν ἥλιον ἀνατελεῖ: καὶ ἐνευλογηθήσονται ἐν αὐτῷ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη. εἰ δὲ ἐν τῷ Χριστῷ εὐλογεῖται τὰ ἔθνη πάντα, καὶ ἐκ πάντων τῶν ἐθνῶν ἐπὶ τοῦτον πιστεύομεν, καὶ αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ Χριστός, καὶ ἡμεῖς οἱ δι' αὐτοῦ εὐλογημένοι. τὸν μὲν ἥλιον ὁ θεὸς ἐδεδώκει πρότερον εἰς τὸ προσκυνεῖν αὐτόν, ὡς γέγραπται, καὶ οὐδένα οὐδέποτε ἰδεῖν ἔστιν ὑπομείναντα διὰ τὴν πρὸς τὸν ἥλιον πίστιν ἀποθανεῖν: διὰ δὲ τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἐκ παντὸς γένους ἀνθρώπων καὶ ὑπομείναντας καὶ ὑπομένοντας πάντα πάσχειν ὑπὲρ τοῦ μὴ ἀρνήσασθαι αὐτὸν ἰδεῖν ἔστι. πυρωδέστερος γὰρ αὐτοῦ ὁ τῆς ἀληθείας καὶ σοφίας λόγος καὶ φωτεινότερος μᾶλλον τῶν ἡλίου δυνάμεών ἐστι, καὶ εἰς τὰ βάθη τῆς καρδίας καὶ τοῦ νοῦ εἰσδύνων. ὅθεν καὶ ὁ λόγος ἔφη: Ὑπὲρ τὸν ἥλιον ἀνατελεῖ τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ. καὶ πάλιν Ἀνατολὴ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ζαχαρίας φησί. καὶ περὶ τοῦ αὐτοῦ λέγων εἶπεν, ὅτι Κόψονται φυλὴ κατὰ φυλήν. εἰ δὲ ἐν τῇ ἀτίμῳ καὶ ἀειδεῖ καὶ ἐξουθενημένῃ πρώτῃ παρουσίᾳ αὐτοῦ τοσοῦτον ἔλαμψε καὶ ἴσχυσεν, ὡς ἐν μηδενὶ γένει ἀγνοεῖσθαι αὐτὸν καὶ ἀπὸ παντὸς μετάνοιαν πεποιῆσθαι ἀπὸ τῆς παλαιᾶς κακῆς ἑκάστου γένους πολιτείας, ὥστε καὶ τὰ δαιμόνια ὑποτάσσεσθαι αὐτοῦ τῷ ὀνόματι καὶ πάσας τὰς ἀρχὰς καὶ τὰς βασιλείας τούτου τὸ ὄνομα παρὰ πάντας τοὺς ἀποθανόντας δεδοικέναι, οὐκ ἐκ παντὸς τρόπου ἐν τῇ ἐνδόξῳ αὐτοῦ παρουσίᾳ καταλύσει πάντας τοὺς μισήσαντας αὐτὸν καὶ τοὺς αὐτοῦ ἀδίκως ἀποστάντας, τοὺς δὲ ἰδίους ἀναπαύσει, ἀποδιδοὺς αὐτοῖς τὰ προσδοκώμενα πάντα; ἡμῖν οὖν ἐδόθη καὶ ἀκοῦσαι καὶ συνεῖναι καὶ σωθῆναι διὰ τούτου τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ τὰ τοῦ πατρὸς ἐπιγνῶναι πάντα. διὰ τοῦτο ἔλεγε πρὸς αὐτόν: Μέγα σοί ἐστι τοῦ κληθῆναί σε παῖδά μου, τοῦ στῆσαι τὰς φυλὰς τοῦ Ἰακὼβ καὶ τὰς διασπορὰς τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ἐπιστρέψαι: Τέθεικά σε εἰς φῶς ἐθνῶν, τοῦ εἶναί σε εἰς σωτηρίαν αὐτῶν ἕως ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς.