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Dialogue with Trypho

Justin Martyr

Chapter 84

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 LXXXIV.—That prophecy, “Behold, a virgin,” etc., suits Christ alone.

“Moreover, the prophecy, ‘Behold, the

‹ Chapter 83 Chapter 85 ›

virgin

shall

conceive

,

and

bear

a

son

,

’

was

uttered

respecting

Him

.

For

if

He

to

whom

Isaiah

referred

was

not

to

be

begotten

of

a

virgin

,

of

whom

did

the

Holy

Spirit

declare

,

‘

Behold

,

the

Lord

Himself

shall

give

us

a

sign

:

behold

,

the

virgin

shall

conceive

,

and

bear

a

son

?

’

For

if

He

also

were

to

be

begotten

of

sexual

intercourse

,

like

all

other

first

-

born

sons

,

why

did

God

say

that

He

would

give

a

sign

which

is

not

common

to

all

the

first

-

born

sons

?

But

that

which

is

truly

a

sign

,

and

which

was

to

be

made

trustworthy

to

mankind

,

—

namely

,

that

the

first

-

begotten

of

all

creation

should

become

incarnate

by

the

Virgin’s

womb

,

and

be

a

child

,

—

this

he

anticipated

by

the

Spirit

of

prophecy

,

and

predicted

it

,

as

I

have

repeated

to

you

,

in

various

ways

;

in

order

that

,

when

the

event

should

take

place

,

it

might

be

known

as

the

operation

of

the

power

and

will

of

the

Maker

of

all

things

;

just

as

Eve

was

made

from

one

of

Adam’s

ribs

,

and

as

all

living

beings

were

created

in

the

beginning

by

the

word

of

God

.

But

you

in

these

matters

venture

to

pervert

the

expositions

which

your

elders

that

were

with

Ptolemy

king

of

Egypt

gave

forth

,

since

you

assert

that

the

Scripture

is

not

so

as

they

have

expounded

it

,

but

says

,

‘

Behold

,

the

young

woman

shall

conceive

,

’

as

if

great

events

were

to

be

inferred

if

a

woman

should

beget

from

sexual

intercourse

:

which

indeed

all

young

women

,

with

the

exception

of

the

barren

,

do

;

but

even

these

,

God

,

if

He

wills

,

is

able

to

cause

[

to

bear

]

.

For

Samuel’s

mother

,

who

was

barren

,

brought

forth

by

the

will

of

God

;

and

so

also

the

wife

of

the

holy

patriarch

Abraham

;

and

Elisabeth

,

who

bore

John

the

Baptist

,

and

other

such

.

So

that

you

must

not

suppose

that

it

is

impossible

for

God

to

do

anything

He

wills

.

And

especially

when

it

was

predicted

that

this

would

take

place

,

do

not

venture

to

pervert

or

misinterpret

the

prophecies

,

since

you

will

injure

yourselves

alone

,

and

will

not

harm

God

.

Notes

332
Or, “why was it.”