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Dialogue with Trypho

Justin Martyr

Chapter 71

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 LXXI.—The Jews reject the interpretation of the LXX., from which, moreover, they have taken away some passages.

“But I am far from putting reliance in

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your

teachers

,

who

refuse

to

admit

that

the

interpretation

made

by

the

seventy

elders

who

were

with

Ptolemy

[

king

]

of

the

Egyptians

is

a

correct

one

;

and

they

attempt

to

frame

another

.

And

I

wish

you

to

observe

,

that

they

have

altogether

taken

away

many

Scriptures

from

the

translations

effected

by

those

seventy

elders

who

were

with

Ptolemy

,

and

by

which

this

very

man

who

was

crucified

is

proved

to

have

been

set

forth

expressly

as

God

,

and

man

,

and

as

being

crucified

,

and

as

dying

;

but

since

I

am

aware

that

this

is

denied

by

all

of

your

nation

,

I

do

not

address

myself

to

these

points

,

but

I

proceed

to

carry

on

my

discussions

by

means

of

those

passages

which

are

still

admitted

by

you

.

For

you

assent

to

those

which

I

have

brought

before

your

attention

,

except

that

you

contradict

the

statement

,

‘

Behold

,

the

virgin

shall

conceive

,

’

and

say

it

ought

to

be

read

,

‘

Behold

,

the

young

woman

shall

conceive

.

’

And

I

promised

to

prove

that

the

prophecy

referred

,

not

,

as

you

were

taught

,

to

Hezekiah

,

but

to

this

Christ

of

mine

:

and

now

I

shall

go

to

the

proof

.

”

Here Trypho remarked, “We ask you first of all to tell us some of the Scriptures which you allege have been completely cancelled.”

Notes

270
Or, “profess.”