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Dialogue with Trypho

Justin Martyr

Chapter 112

About this work

A literary dialogue in which Justin recounts his conversion to Christianity and debates Scripture, covenant, messianic prophecy, law, and the identity of God’s people with a Jewish interlocutor.

Author: Justin Martyr
Date: Mid-2nd century
Origin: Rome
Genre: Dialogue

Chapter CXII.—The Jews expound these signs jejunely and feebly, and take up their attention only with insignificant matters.

“But you, expounding these things in a

‹ Chapter 111 Chapter 113 ›

low

[

and

earthly

]

manner

,

impute

much

weakness

to

God

,

if

you

thus

listen

to

them

merely

,

and

do

not

investigate

the

force

of

the

words

spoken

.

Since

even

Moses

would

in

this

way

be

considered

a

transgressor

:

for

he

enjoined

that

no

likeness

of

anything

in

heaven

,

or

on

earth

,

or

in

the

sea

,

be

made

;

and

then

he

himself

made

a

brazen

serpent

and

set

it

on

a

standard

,

and

bade

those

who

were

bitten

look

at

it

:

and

they

were

saved

when

they

looked

at

it

.

Will

the

serpent

,

then

,

which

(

I

have

already

said

)

God

had

in

the

beginning

cursed

and

cut

off

by

the

great

sword

,

as

Isaiah

says

,

be

understood

as

having

preserved

at

that

time

the

people

?

and

shall

we

receive

these

things

in

the

foolish

acceptation

of

your

teachers

,

and

[

regard

]

them

not

as

signs

?

And

shall

we

not

rather

refer

the

standard

to

the

resemblance

of

the

crucified

Jesus

,

since

also

Moses

by

his

outstretched

hands

,

together

with

him

who

was

named

Jesus

(

Joshua

)

,

achieved

a

victory

for

your

people

?

For

in

this

way

we

shall

cease

to

be

at

a

loss

about

the

things

which

the

lawgiver

did

,

when

he

,

without

forsaking

God

,

persuaded

the

people

to

hope

in

a

beast

through

which

transgression

and

disobedience

had

their

origin

.

And

this

was

done

and

said

by

the

blessed

prophet

with

much

intelligence

and

mystery

;

and

there

is

nothing

said

or

done

by

any

one

of

the

prophets

,

without

exception

,

which

one

can

justly

reprehend

,

if

he

possess

the

knowledge

which

is

in

them

.

But

if

your

teachers

only

expound

to

you

why

female

camels

are

spoken

of

in

this

passage

,

and

are

not

in

that

;

or

why

so

many

measures

of

fine

flour

and

so

many

measures

of

oil

[

are

used

]

in

the

offerings

;

and

do

so

in

a

low

and

sordid

manner

,

while

they

never

venture

either

to

speak

of

or

to

expound

the

points

which

are

great

and

worthy

of

investigation

,

or

command

you

to

give

no

audience

to

us

while

we

expound

them

,

and

to

come

not

into

conversation

with

us

;

will

they

not

deserve

to

hear

what

our

Lord

Jesus

Christ

said

to

them

:

‘

Whited

sepulchres

,

which

appear

beautiful

outward

,

and

within

are

full

of

dead

men’s

bones

;

which

pay

tithe

of

mint

,

and

swallow

a

camel

:

ye

blind

guides

!

’

If

,

then

,

you

will

not

despise

the

doctrines

of

those

who

exalt

themselves

and

wish

to

be

called

Rabbi

,

Rabbi

,

and

come

with

such

earnestness

and

intelligence

to

the

words

of

prophecy

as

to

suffer

the

same

inflictions

from

your

own

people

which

the

prophets

themselves

did

,

you

cannot

receive

any

advantage

whatsoever

from

the

prophetic

writings

.

Notes

424
Isa. xxvii. 1.
425
Matt. xxiii. 27, 23, 24. [Note the examples he gives of the rabbinical expositions. He consents to their principle, but gives nobler analogies.]