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Dialogue with Trypho

Justin Martyr

Chapter 18

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 XVIII.—Christians would observe the law, if they did not know why it was instituted.

“For since you have read, O Trypho

‹ Chapter 17 Chapter 19 ›

,

as

you

yourself

admitted

,

the

doctrines

taught

by

our

Saviour

,

I

do

not

think

that

I

have

done

foolishly

in

adding

some

short

utterances

of

His

to

the

prophetic

statements

.

Wash

therefore

,

and

be

now

clean

,

and

put

away

iniquity

from

your

souls

,

as

God

bids

you

be

washed

in

this

laver

,

and

be

circumcised

with

the

true

circumcision

.

For

we

too

would

observe

the

fleshly

circumcision

,

and

the

Sabbaths

,

and

in

short

all

the

feasts

,

if

we

did

not

know

for

what

reason

they

were

enjoined

you

,

—

namely

,

on

account

of

your

transgressions

and

the

hardness

of

your

hearts

.

For

if

we

patiently

endure

all

things

contrived

against

us

by

wicked

men

and

demons

,

so

that

even

amid

cruelties

unutterable

,

death

and

torments

,

we

pray

for

mercy

to

those

who

inflict

such

things

upon

us

,

and

do

not

wish

to

give

the

least

retort

to

any

one

,

even

as

the

new

Lawgiver

commanded

us

:

how

is

it

,

Trypho

,

that

we

would

not

observe

those

rites

which

do

not

harm

us

,

—

I

speak

of

fleshly

circumcision

,

and

Sabbaths

,

and

feasts

?