Opening the library…

Search the Bible

Dialogue with Trypho

Justin Martyr

Chapter 135

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 CXXXV.—Christ is king of Israel, and Christians are the Israelitic race.

“And when Scripture says, ‘I am

‹ Chapter 134 Chapter 136 ›

the

Lord

God

,

the

Holy

One

of

Israel

,

who

have

made

known

Israel

your

King

,

’

will

you

not

understand

that

truly

Christ

is

the

everlasting

King

?

For

you

are

aware

that

Jacob

the

son

of

Isaac

was

never

a

king

.

And

therefore

Scripture

again

,

explaining

to

us

,

says

what

king

is

meant

by

Jacob

and

Israel

:

‘

Jacob

is

my

Servant

,

I

will

uphold

Him

;

and

Israel

is

mine

Elect

,

my

soul

shall

receive

Him

.

I

have

given

Him

my

Spirit

;

and

He

shall

bring

forth

judgment

to

the

Gentiles

.

He

shall

not

cry

,

and

His

voice

shall

not

be

heard

without

.

The

bruised

reed

He

shall

not

break

,

and

the

smoking

flax

He

shall

not

quench

,

until

He

shall

bring

forth

judgment

to

victory

.

He

shall

shine

,

and

shall

not

be

broken

,

until

He

set

judgment

on

the

earth

.

And

in

His

name

shall

the

Gentiles

trust

.

’

Then

is

it

Jacob

the

patriarch

in

whom

the

Gentiles

and

yourselves

shall

trust

?

or

is

it

not

Christ

?

As

,

therefore

,

Christ

is

the

Israel

and

the

Jacob

,

even

so

we

,

who

have

been

quarried

out

from

the

bowels

of

Christ

,

are

the

true

Israelitic

race

.

But

let

us

attend

rather

to

the

very

word

:

‘

And

I

will

bring

forth

,

’

He

says

,

‘

the

seed

out

of

Jacob

,

and

out

of

Judah

:

and

it

shall

inherit

My

holy

mountain

;

and

Mine

Elect

and

My

servants

shall

possess

the

inheritance

,

and

shall

dwell

there

;

and

there

shall

be

folds

of

flocks

in

the

thicket

,

and

the

valley

of

Achor

shall

be

a

resting

-

place

of

cattle

for

the

people

who

have

sought

Me

.

But

as

for

you

,

who

forsake

Me

,

and

forget

My

holy

mountain

,

and

prepare

a

table

for

demons

,

and

fill

out

drink

for

the

demon

,

I

shall

give

you

to

the

sword

.

You

shall

all

fall

with

a

slaughter

;

for

I

called

you

,

and

you

hearkened

not

,

and

did

evil

before

me

,

and

did

choose

that

wherein

I

delighted

not

.

’

Such

are

the

words

of

Scripture

;

understand

,

therefore

,

that

the

seed

of

Jacob

now

referred

to

is

something

else

,

and

not

,

as

may

be

supposed

,

spoken

of

your

people

.

For

it

is

not

possible

for

the

seed

of

Jacob

to

leave

an

entrance

for

the

descendants

of

Jacob

,

or

for

[

God

]

to

have

accepted

the

very

same

persons

whom

He

had

reproached

with

unfitness

for

the

inheritance

,

and

promise

it

to

them

again

;

but

as

there

the

prophet

says

,

‘

And

now

,

O

house

of

Jacob

,

come

and

let

us

walk

in

the

light

of

the

Lord

;

for

He

has

sent

away

His

people

,

the

house

of

Jacob

,

because

their

land

was

full

,

as

at

the

first

,

of

soothsayers

and

divinations

;

’

even

so

it

is

necessary

for

us

here

to

observe

that

there

are

two

seeds

of

Judah

,

and

two

races

,

as

there

are

two

houses

of

Jacob

:

the

one

begotten

by

blood

and

flesh

,

the

other

by

faith

and

the

Spirit

.

Notes

526
Isa. xliii. 15.
527
Isa. xlii. 1–4.
528
Isa. lxv. 9–12.
529
Isa. ii. 5 f.