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Dialogue with Trypho

Justin Martyr

Chapter 22

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 XXII.—So also were sacrifices and oblations.

“And that you may learn that it was

‹ Chapter 21 Chapter 23 ›

for

the

sins

of

your

own

nation

,

and

for

their

idolatries

and

not

because

there

was

any

necessity

for

such

sacrifices

,

that

they

were

likewise

enjoined

,

listen

to

the

manner

in

which

He

speaks

of

these

by

Amos

,

one

of

the

twelve

,

saying

:

‘

Woe

unto

you

that

desire

the

day

of

the

Lord

!

to

what

end

is

this

day

of

the

Lord

for

you

?

It

is

darkness

and

not

light

,

as

when

a

man

flees

from

the

face

of

a

lion

,

and

a

bear

meets

him

;

and

he

goes

into

his

house

,

and

leans

his

hands

against

the

wall

,

and

the

serpent

bites

him

.

Shall

not

the

day

of

the

Lord

be

darkness

and

not

light

,

even

very

dark

,

and

no

brightness

in

it

?

I

have

hated

,

I

have

despised

your

feast

-

days

,

and

I

will

not

smell

in

your

solemn

assemblies

:

wherefore

,

though

ye

offer

Me

your

burnt

-

offerings

and

sacrifices

,

I

will

not

accept

them

;

neither

will

I

regard

the

peace

-

offerings

of

your

presence

.

Take

thou

away

from

Me

the

multitude

of

thy

songs

and

psalms

;

I

will

not

hear

thine

instruments

.

But

let

judgment

be

rolled

down

as

water

,

and

righteousness

as

an

impassable

torrent

.

Have

ye

offered

unto

Me

victims

and

sacrifices

in

the

wilderness

,

O

house

of

Israel

?

saith

the

Lord

.

And

have

ye

taken

up

the

tabernacle

of

Moloch

,

and

the

star

of

your

god

Raphan

,

the

figures

which

ye

made

for

yourselves

?

And

I

will

carry

you

away

beyond

Damascus

,

saith

the

Lord

,

whose

name

is

the

Almighty

God

.

Woe

to

them

that

are

at

ease

in

Zion

,

and

trust

in

the

mountain

of

Samaria

:

those

who

are

named

among

the

chiefs

have

plucked

away

the

first

-

fruits

of

the

nations

:

the

house

of

Israel

have

entered

for

themselves

.

Pass

all

of

you

unto

Calneh

,

and

see

;

and

from

thence

go

ye

unto

Hamath

the

great

,

and

go

down

thence

to

Gath

of

the

strangers

,

the

noblest

of

all

these

kingdoms

,

if

their

boundaries

are

greater

than

your

boundaries

.

Ye

who

come

to

the

evil

day

,

who

are

approaching

,

and

who

hold

to

false

Sabbaths

;

who

lie

on

beds

of

ivory

,

and

are

at

ease

upon

their

couches

;

who

eat

the

lambs

out

of

the

flock

,

and

the

sucking

calves

out

of

the

midst

of

the

herd

;

who

applaud

at

the

sound

of

the

musical

instruments

;

they

reckon

them

as

stable

,

and

not

as

fleeting

,

who

drink

wine

in

bowls

,

and

anoint

themselves

with

the

chief

ointments

,

but

they

are

not

grieved

for

the

affliction

of

Joseph

.

Wherefore

now

they

shall

be

captives

,

among

the

first

of

the

nobles

who

are

carried

away

;

and

the

house

of

evil

-

doers

shall

be

removed

,

and

the

neighing

of

horses

shall

be

taken

away

from

Ephraim

.

’

And

again

by

Jeremiah

:

‘

Collect

your

flesh

,

and

sacrifices

,

and

eat

:

for

concerning

neither

sacrifices

nor

libations

did

I

command

your

fathers

in

the

day

in

which

I

took

them

by

the

hand

to

lead

them

out

of

Egypt

.

’

And

again

by

David

,

in

the

forty

-

ninth

Psalm

,

He

thus

said

:

‘

The

God

of

gods

,

the

Lord

hath

spoken

,

and

called

the

earth

,

from

the

rising

of

the

sun

unto

the

going

down

thereof

.

Out

of

Zion

is

the

perfection

of

His

beauty

.

God

,

even

our

God

,

shall

come

openly

,

and

shall

not

keep

silence

.

Fire

shall

burn

before

Him

,

and

it

shall

be

very

tempestuous

round

about

Him

.

He

shall

call

to

the

heavens

above

,

and

to

the

earth

,

that

He

may

judge

His

people

.

Assemble

to

Him

His

saints

;

those

that

have

made

a

covenant

with

Him

by

sacrifices

.

And

the

heavens

shall

declare

His

righteousness

,

for

God

is

judge

.

Hear

,

O

My

people

,

and

I

will

speak

to

thee

;

O

Israel

,

and

I

will

testify

to

thee

,

I

am

God

,

even

thy

God

.

I

will

not

reprove

thee

for

thy

sacrifices

;

thy

burnt

-

offerings

are

continually

before

me

.

I

will

take

no

bullocks

out

of

thy

house

,

nor

he

-

goats

out

of

thy

folds

:

for

all

the

beasts

of

the

field

are

Mine

,

the

herds

and

the

oxen

on

the

mountains

.

I

know

all

the

fowls

of

the

heavens

,

and

the

beauty

of

the

field

is

Mine

.

If

I

were

hungry

,

I

would

not

tell

thee

;

for

the

world

is

Mine

,

and

the

fulness

thereof

.

Will

I

eat

the

flesh

of

bulls

,

or

drink

the

blood

of

goats

?

Offer

unto

God

the

sacrifice

of

praise

,

and

pay

thy

vows

unto

the

Most

High

,

and

call

upon

Me

in

the

day

of

trouble

,

and

I

will

deliver

thee

,

and

thou

shalt

glorify

Me

.

But

unto

the

wicked

God

saith

,

What

hast

thou

to

do

to

declare

My

statutes

,

and

to

take

My

covenant

into

thy

mouth

?

But

thou

hast

hated

instruction

,

and

cast

My

words

behind

thee

.

When

thou

sawest

a

thief

,

thou

consentedst

with

him

;

and

hast

been

partaker

with

the

adulterer

.

Thy

mouth

has

framed

evil

,

and

thy

tongue

has

enfolded

deceit

.

Thou

sittest

and

speakest

against

thy

brother

;

thou

slanderest

thine

own

mother’s

son

.

These

things

hast

thou

done

,

and

I

kept

silence

;

thou

thoughtest

that

I

would

be

like

thyself

in

wickedness

.

I

will

reprove

thee

,

and

set

thy

sins

in

order

before

thine

eyes

.

Now

consider

this

,

ye

that

forget

God

,

lest

He

tear

you

in

pieces

,

and

there

be

none

to

deliver

.

The

sacrifice

of

praise

shall

glorify

Me

;

and

there

is

the

way

in

which

I

shall

show

him

My

salvation

.

’

Accordingly

He

neither

takes

sacrifices

from

you

nor

commanded

them

at

first

to

be

offered

because

they

are

needful

to

Him

,

but

because

of

your

sins

.

For

indeed

the

temple

,

which

is

called

the

temple

in

Jerusalem

,

He

admitted

to

be

His

house

or

court

,

not

as

though

He

needed

it

,

but

in

order

that

you

,

in

this

view

of

it

,

giving

yourselves

to

Him

,

might

not

worship

idols

.

And

that

this

is

so

,

Isaiah

says

:

‘

What

house

have

ye

built

Me

?

saith

the

Lord

.

Heaven

is

My

throne

,

and

earth

is

My

footstool

.

’

Notes

54
Amos v. 18 to end, Amos vi. 1–7.
55
Jer. vii. 21 f.
56
Ps. l. (in E. V.).
57
Isa. lxvi. 1.