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Dialogue with Trypho

Justin Martyr

Chapter 138

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 CXXXVIII.—Noah is a figure of Christ, who has regenerated us by water, and faith, and wood: [i.e., the cross.]

“You know, then, sirs,”

‹ Chapter 137 Chapter 139 ›

I

said

,

“

that

God

has

said

in

Isaiah

to

Jerusalem

:

‘

I

saved

thee

in

the

deluge

of

Noah

.

’

By

this

which

God

said

was

meant

that

the

mystery

of

saved

men

appeared

in

the

deluge

.

For

righteous

Noah

,

along

with

the

other

mortals

at

the

deluge

,

i

.

e

.

,

with

his

own

wife

,

his

three

sons

and

their

wives

,

being

eight

in

number

,

were

a

symbol

of

the

eighth

day

,

wherein

Christ

appeared

when

He

rose

from

the

dead

,

for

ever

the

first

in

power

.

For

Christ

,

being

the

first

-

born

of

every

creature

,

became

again

the

chief

of

another

race

regenerated

by

Himself

through

water

,

and

faith

,

and

wood

,

containing

the

mystery

of

the

cross

;

even

as

Noah

was

saved

by

wood

when

he

rode

over

the

waters

with

his

household

.

Accordingly

,

when

the

prophet

says

,

‘

I

saved

thee

in

the

times

of

Noah

,

’

as

I

have

already

remarked

,

he

addresses

the

people

who

are

equally

faithful

to

God

,

and

possess

the

same

signs

.

For

when

Moses

had

the

rod

in

his

hands

,

he

led

your

nation

through

the

sea

.

And

you

believe

that

this

was

spoken

to

your

nation

only

,

or

to

the

land

.

But

the

whole

earth

,

as

the

Scripture

says

,

was

inundated

,

and

the

water

rose

in

height

fifteen

cubits

above

all

the

mountains

:

so

that

it

is

evident

this

was

not

spoken

to

the

land

,

but

to

the

people

who

obeyed

Him

:

for

whom

also

He

had

before

prepared

a

resting

-

place

in

Jerusalem

,

as

was

previously

demonstrated

by

all

the

symbols

of

the

deluge

;

I

mean

,

that

by

water

,

faith

,

and

wood

,

those

who

are

afore

-

prepared

,

and

who

repent

of

the

sins

which

they

have

committed

,

shall

escape

from

the

impending

judgment

of

God

.

Notes

535
Isa. liv. 9 comes nearer to these words than any other passage; but still the exact quotation is not in Isaiah, or in any other part of Scripture. [It is quite probable that Isa. liv. 9 was thus misunderstood by the Jews, as Trypho seems to acquiesce.]