'Translations of Christian Literature Series I-Greek Texts JUSTIN MARTYR THE DIALOGUE WITH TRYPHO JUSTIN MARTYR THE DIALOGUE WITH TRYPHO TRANSLATION, INTRODUCTION, AND NOTES BY A. LUKYN WILLIAMS, D.D. Honorary Canon of E/1 LONDON 8ocIRTY POR PROl!4OTING CHRISTIAN KNOWLEDGE NEW YORE: .A.ND TORONTO: THE MA.Cl!4ILLAN.CO. 1930 PRINTED IN INDIA BY NORMA ROGE AT THE DIOCESAI-i PRESS, MADRAS, 1930, C858! CONTENTS PAGE PREFACE vii INTRODUCTION-:- !. Justin Martyr, what is known of him ?••• ix II. The Authenticity of the Dialogue xi III. Earlier Efforts to Present Christ to the Jews xix IV. Trypho the Jew xxiv V. Justin's Knowledge of Post-Biblical Judaism ... xxx VI. The Contents of the Dialogue xxxv VII. The Practical Value of the Dialogue ... xxxvii VIII. Bibliography xli TRANSLATION AND NOTES INDICES TO INTRODUCTION AND N OTRS- I. General 291 II. Holy Scripture and other Early Litera­ ture 296 PREFACE The Dialogue touches so many points of interest that it is. impossible to consider them all in a popular work like the present. I have therefore restricted myself almost entirely (though not quite) to the primary object of Justin's treatise, the relation of Christianity to Judaism, in particular to the Judaism of post-Biblical times, endeavouring to illustrate this from Jewish sources. In such illustrations I have not used the Apocrypha or the Pseudepigraphic writings, partly because these are now readily accessible to the English reader in the Oxford Corpus, and partly because Justin himself appears to have neglected all such books. The Jews with whom he disputed were evidently Palestinians, accustomed to the Hebrew Canon only, and to the argu­ ments of those Jews who carried on the traditions of the Pharisees. It is therefore to the writings of these that we must look for illustrations. Their books indeed, with the exception of one or two portions, are not earlier than, or even contemporary with, Justin, especially in the form in which they have come down to us. But tht Mishna, the Tosephta, some of the Midrashim, and the two Talmuds, besides the Targums, may fairly be con-· sidered as incorporating a great deal of matter coreval with him, or even earlier. For it is becoming increasingly probable that we can trust the authorship attributed by tradition to the sayings of the Rabbis. The later authorities I have almost entirely disregarded. viii PREFACE It has also seemed desirable to adduce from early Antijudaica many illustrations important either for their own sake, or for the light they throw on Justin's mode­ of thought. The more the Dialogue is studied the deeper becomes the impression of the general accuracy of Justin's. presentation of Judaism, as well as the width of his. knowledge of it. The Treatise in fact implies a very much closer intercourse between Christians and Jews in the middle of the second century than has been commonly ~ccepted. No doubt the fear of the influence of Jews on the one hand, and the desire to win them to Christ on the other, supply the reasons for the continual output of tracts and books dealing with the subject. I am also not without hope that a perusal of the Introduction and Notes may lead to a better understanding on the part of Christians of to-day of the kind of problems which still face every one who attempts to present Christ to the Jews, and to a serious endeavour on the part of some earnest Christian who is trained in Jewish lore ancf customs to place our holy faith attractively before them. For it is a grievous blot upon the Christianity of our own day that hardly any effort has been made to set before Jews of western education such a defence of Christian truth as by its learning and philosophic mind may appeal to them. We have nothing in the twentieth century corresponding to the second century Dialogue with Tr,,pho. INTRODUCTION I JUSTIN MARTYR, WHAT IS KNOWN OF HIM? 1. Befort his conversion.-He was the son of Priscus the son of Baccheius, and was born in Neapolis (Shechern, I. .4pol. i. 1), about A.D. 100. He indeed claims the Samaritans as his own race (cxx. 6) but this was evidently on the score of locality only, because he was. brought up as a heathen and was uncircumcised (xxix .. 1, 3). He describes himself as an earnest searcher after truth among the various philosophies of the time, Stoic, Peripatetic, Pythagorean, Platonic (ii. 3-6), until the day that, as he was meditating by the sea-side (iii. 1), he met one who showed him the unsatisfying character of philosophy as such (iii-vi), and bid him turn to the Bible,. with prayer for a comprehension of such matters (vii). This he did, and he found that in the prophets and the friends of Christ was true philosophy. He adds, 'In this way and for these reasons am I a philosopher.' He then began to desire that all should find the truth, and know the Christ (viii. 1, 2). 2. After his conversion.-W.e know nothing about his baptism, and possess only scanty information about his life · afterwards. But he felt very strongly the duty of imparting his knowledge of Scripture (lviii. 1), and his. responsibility towards all with whom he came in contact (lxxxii. 3). In order that he might have more oppor­ tunities he continued to wear his philosopher's cloak X THE DIALOGUE WITH TRYPHO (i. 2), and he travelled widely. The scene of the Dialogue is laid, as it seems, at Ephesus (i. 1; ix. 3), and in the last chapter he tells us he is expecting to set to sea at once (cxlii. 2 sq.), probably for Rome, where he may have actually composed the Dialogue between 155 and A.D. 161, in any case after his first Apology (cxx. 5). He was in Rome twice (Acts of Martyrdom, iii, and lectured there, with Tatian for one of his hearers (Iren. Adv. Haer. I. xxvi (xxviii.); cf. Euseb., Ch. Hist. IV. xxix. 1), living over the Bath of one Martin the son of J'imotinus (Acts iii). Crescens the Cynic appears to have plotted against him (Tatian, Oratio, xix; cf. Euseb. C. H. IV. xvi. 7; Justin, II Apol. iii), and many perhaps have been the direct cause of his martyrdom. 3. His Martyrdom.-A description of the trial of Justin and six others is given in the very simple and beautiful narrative of the Acts of his Martyrdom. 1 The seven Christians were brought before the Prefect Rusticus at Rome, and after some preliminary questions as to doctrine and personal hope, addressed to each, and in particular to Justin as evidently the leader and the most learned, they were directly bidden 'offer sacrifice with one accord to the gods' (§ v). On their refusal they were condemned to be scourged and decapitated, 'according to the usual course of the law.' The date seems to have been June 12, 163-167 A.D. Justin's brief confession of his faith before Rusticus (§ ii) is worth quoting, for it illustrates the Dialogue: 'Rusticus the prefect said, "What kind of tenets do you practise?" Justin said, ., I have tried to learn all tenets, but I have come ·to agree with the true tenets of the Christians, though they please 1 The. original is given by Otto, after the disputed writings and the fragments, and an English translation may be found in T. & T. Clark's Antenicene Library in the same position. INTRODUCTION Xl ,not them that hold false opinions." Rusticus the prefect ·said, "Are those the tenets that please thee, thou wretched fellow?" Justin said, "Yes, for I pursue them with a right principle" . 1 Ru_sticus the perfect said, "What kind of principle is it?" Justin said, "That we pay reverence to the God of the Christians, whom we hold to be the One from the beginning, the Maker and Framer of all creation, both visible and invisible; and the Lord Jesus Christ the Son ( or Servant) of God, 2 who also has been proclaimed beforehand by the prophets as :about to come to the human race as the herald of salvation, and the teacher of good disciples. And I, being a man, think that I can say but little with reference to His boundless Deity, and acknowledge that a kind of prophetic power is necessary for that, since it has been proclaimed beforehand of Him whom I just now spoke -of as being the Son of God. For I know that the prophets -spake of old concerning His appearance among men." ' II THE AUTHENTICITY OF THE DIALOGUE 1. Doubts.-Wetstein (N.T., 1751, Proleg., p. 66), had doubts, because the quotations in the Dialogue from the 0. T. agree not so much with the ordinary text of the LXX as with Origen's Hexapla, 'omitting , Soryµa is not 'dogma' nor even 'doctrine' but the ruling principle in a philosophical system. See especially Seneca, Ep. ·\J5 § 10 'Nulla ars contemplativa sine decretis suis est, quae Graeci vacant dagmata, nabis vel decreta licet appellare vel scita vel placita'; and § 12, 'Hac interest inter decreta philasaphiae and praecepta, quad inter elementa et membra : haec ei illis ,dependent, ilia et harum causae sunt et amnium.' See also Ep. Dia~ttet. v. 3. 2 Justin does not m•mtion the Holy Spirit: see !xv. 7, note. XU THE DIALOGU& WITH TRYPHO what Origen marked with obeli [ as not in the Hebrew J and adding words to which he appended asterisks [ as being in the Hebrew though not in the ordinary teJtt of the LXX but t"n other versions]'.