Chapter XLVI.—Trypho asks whether a man who keeps the law even now will be saved. Justin proves that it contributes nothing to righteousness.

“But if some, even now, wish to live in the observance of the institutions given by Moses, and yet believe in this Jesus who was crucified, recognising Him to be the Christ of God, and that it is given to Him to be absolute Judge of all, and that His is the everlasting kingdom, can they also be saved?” he inquired of me.

And I replied, “Let us consider that also together, whether one may now observe all the Mosaic institutions.”

And he answered, “No. For we know that, as you said, it is not possible either anywhere to sacrifice the lamb of the passover, or to offer the goats ordered for the fast; or, in short, [to present] all the other offerings.”

And I said, “Tell [me] then yourself, I pray, some things which can be observed; for you will be persuaded that, though a man does not keep or has not performed the eternal139    “Eternal,” i.e., as the Jew thinks. decrees, he may assuredly be saved.”

Then he replied, “To keep the Sabbath, to be circumcised, to observe months, and to be washed if you touch anything prohibited by Moses, or after sexual intercourse.”

And I said, “Do you think that Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Noah, and Job, and all the rest before or after them equally righteous, also Sarah the wife of Abraham, Rebekah the wife of Isaac, Rachel the wife of Jacob, and Leah, and all the rest of them, until the mother of Moses the faithful servant, who observed none of these [statutes], will be saved?”

And Trypho answered, “Were not Abraham and his descendants circumcised?”

And I said, “I know that Abraham and his descendants were circumcised. The reason why circumcision was given to them I stated at length in what has gone before; and if what has been said does not convince you,140    Literally, “put you out of countenance.” let us again search into the matter. But you are aware that, up to Moses, no one in fact who was righteous observed any of these rites at all of which we are talking, or received one commandment to observe, except that of circumcision, which began from Abraham.”

And he replied, “We know it, and admit that they are saved.”

Then I returned answer, “You perceive that God by Moses laid all such ordinances upon you on account of the hardness of your people’s hearts, in order that, by the large number of them, you might keep God continually, and in every action, before your eyes, and never begin to act unjustly or impiously. For He enjoined you to place around you [a fringe] of purple dye,141    Num. xv. 38. in order that you might not forget God; and He commanded you to wear a phylactery,142    Deut. vi. 6. certain characters, which indeed we consider holy, being engraved on very thin parchment; and by these means stirring you up143    Literally, “importuning.” to retain a constant remembrance of God: at the same time, however, convincing you, that in your hearts you have not even a faint remembrance of God’s worship. Yet not even so were you dissuaded from idolatry: for in the times of Elijah, when [God] recounted the number of those who had not bowed the knee to Baal, He said the number was seven thousand; and in Isaiah He rebukes you for having sacrificed your children to idols. But we, because we refuse to sacrifice to those to whom we were of old accustomed to sacrifice, undergo extreme penalties, and rejoice in death,—believing that God will raise us up by His Christ, and will make us incorruptible, and undisturbed, and immortal; and we know that the ordinances imposed by reason of the hardness of your people’s hearts, contribute nothing to the performance of righteousness and of piety.”

[46] Ἐὰν δέ τινες καὶ νῦν ζῆν βούλωνται φυλάσσοντες τὰ διὰ Μωυσέως διαταχθέντα καὶ πιστεύσωσιν ἐπὶ τοῦτον τὸν σταυρωθέντα Ἰησοῦν, ἐπιγνόντες ὅτι αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ Χριστὸς τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ αὐτῷ δέδοται τὸ κρῖναι πάντας ἁπλῶς καὶ αὐτοῦ ἐστιν ἡ αἰώνιος βασιλεία, δύνανται καὶ αὐτοὶ σωθῆναι; ἐπυνθάνετό μου. Κἀγὼ πάλιν: Συσκεψώμεθα κἀκεῖνο, εἰ ἔνεστιν, ἔλεγον, φυλάσσειν τὰ διὰ Μωυσέως διαταχθέντα ἅπαντα νῦν. Κἀκεῖνος ἀπεκρίνατο: Οὔ: γνωρίζομεν γὰρ ὅτι, ὡς ἔφης, οὔτε πρόβατον τοῦ πάσχα ἀλλαχόσε θύειν δυνατὸν οὔτε τοὺς τῇ νηστείᾳ κελευσθέντας προσφέρεσθαι χιμάρους οὔτε τὰς ἄλλας ἁπλῶς ἁπάσας προσφοράς. Κἀγώ: Τίνα οὖν ἃ δυνατόν ἐστι φυλάσσειν, παρακαλῶ, λέγε αὐτός: πεισθήσῃ γὰρ ὅτι μὴ φυλάσσων τὰ αἰώνια δικαιώματά τις ἢ πράξας σωθῆναι ἐκ παντὸς ἔχει. Κἀκεῖνος: Τὸ σαββατίζειν λέγω καὶ τὸ περιτέμνεσθαι καὶ τὸ τὰ ἔμμηνα φυλάσσειν καὶ τὸ βαπτίζεσθαι ἁψάμενόν τινος ὧν ἀπηγόρευται ὑπὸ Μωυσέως ἢ ἐν συνουσίᾳ γενόμενον. Κἀγὼ ἔφην: Ἀβραὰμ καὶ Ἰσαὰκ καὶ Ἰακὼβ καὶ Νῶε καὶ Ἰώβ, καὶ εἴ τινες ἄλλοι γεγόνασι πρὸ τούτων ἢ μετὰ τούτους ὁμοίως δίκαιοι, λέγω δὲ καὶ Σάρραν τὴν γυναῖκα τοῦ Ἀβραάμ, καὶ Ῥεβέκκαν τὴν τοῦ Ἰσαάκ, καὶ Ῥαχὴλ τὴν τοῦ Ἰακώβ, καὶ Λείαν, καὶ τὰς λοιπὰς ἄλλας τὰς τοιαύτας μέχρι τῆς Μωυσέως, τοῦ πιστοῦ θεράποντος, μητρός, μηδὲν τούτων φυλάξαντας, εἰ δοκοῦσιν ὑμῖν σωθήσεσθαι; Καὶ ὁ Τρύφων ἀπεκρίνατο: Οὐ περιετέτμητο Ἀβραὰμ καὶ οἱ μετ' αὐτόν; Κἀγώ: Ἐπίσταμαι, ἔφην, ὅτι περιετέτμητο Ἀβραὰμ καὶ οἱ μετ' αὐτόν: διὰ τί δὲ ἐδόθη αὐτοῖς ἡ περιτομή, ἐν πολλοῖς τοῖς προλελεγμένοις εἶπον, καὶ εἰ μὴ δυσωπεῖ ὑμᾶς τὰ λεγόμενα, πάλιν ἐξετάσωμεν τὸν λόγον. ὅτι δὲ μέχρι Μωυσέως οὐδεὶς ἁπλῶς δίκαιος οὐδὲν ὅλως τούτων περὶ ὧν ἐζητοῦμεν ἐφύλαξεν οὐδὲ ἐντολὴν ἔλαβε φυλάσσειν, πλὴν τὴν ἀρχὴν λαβούσης ἀπὸ Ἀβραὰμ τῆς περιτομῆς, ἐπίστασθε. Κἀκεῖνος: Ἐπιστάμεθα, ἔφη, καὶ ὅτι σώζονται ὁμολογοῦμεν. Κἀγὼ πάλιν: Διὰ τὸ σκληροκάρδιον τοῦ λαοῦ ὑμῶν πάντα τὰ τοιαῦτα ἐντάλματα νοεῖτε τὸν θεὸν διὰ Μωυσέως ἐντειλάμενον ὑμῖν, ἵνα διὰ πολλῶν τούτων ἐν πάσῃ πράξει πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν ἀεὶ ἔχητε τὸν θεὸν καὶ μήτε ἀδικεῖν μήτε ἀσεβεῖν ἄρχησθε. καὶ γὰρ τὸ κόκκινον βάμμα περιτιθέναι αὐτοῖς ἐνετείλατο ὑμῖν, ἵνα διὰ τούτου μὴ λήθη ὑμᾶς λαμβάνῃ τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ φυλακτήριον ἐν ὑμέσι λεπτοτάτοις γεγραμμένων χαρακτήρων τινῶν, ἃ πάντως ἅγια νοοῦμεν εἶναι, περικεῖσθαι ὑμᾶς ἐκέλευσε, καὶ διὰ τούτων δυσωπῶν ὑμᾶς ἀεὶ μνήμην ἔχειν τοῦ θεοῦ, ἅμα τε καὶ ἔλεγχον ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ὑμῶν. οὐ δὲ μικρὰν μνήμην ἔχετε τοῦ θεοσεβεῖν, καὶ οὐδ' οὕτως ἐπείσθητε μὴ εἰδωλολατρεῖν, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ Ἠλίου ὀνομάζων τὸν ἀριθμὸν τῶν μὴ καμψάντων γόνυ τῇ Βάαλ, ἑπτακισχιλίους τὸν ἀριθμὸν ὄντας εἶπε, καὶ ἐν τῷ Ἠσαίᾳ καὶ τὰ τέκνα ὑμῶν θυσίαν πεποιηκέναι τοῖς εἰδώλοις ἐλέγχει ὑμᾶς. ἡμεῖς δέ, ὑπὲρ τοῦ μὴ θυσιάζειν οἷς πάλαι ἐθύομεν, ὑπομένομεν τὰς ἐσχάτας τιμωρίας, καὶ θανατούμενοι χαίρομεν, πιστεύοντες ὅτι ἀναστήσει ἡμᾶς ὁ θεὸς διὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀφθάρτους καὶ ἀπαθεῖς καὶ ἀθανάτους ποιήσει: καὶ οὐδὲν συμβάλλεσθαι πρὸς δικαιοπραξίαν καὶ εὐσέβειαν τὰ διὰ τὴν σκληροκαρδίαν τοῦ λαοῦ ὑμῶν διαταχθέντα γινώσκομεν.