Dialogue with Trypho 29.2
Summary: These are the words of David, Isaiah, Zechariah, and Moses, which belong to Christians who obey them.
Greek text · Archambault 1:126–128
Ταῦτα οἶμαι λέγων πείσειν καὶ τοὺς βραχὺν νοῦν κεκτημένους. Οὐ γὰρ ὑπʼ ἐμοῦ συνεσκευασμένοι εἰσὶν οἱ λόγοι οὐδὲ τέχνῃ ἀνθρωπίνῃ κεκαλλωπισμένοι, ἀλλὰ τούτους Δαυῒδ μὲν ἔψαλλεν, Ἡσαίας δὲ εὐηγγελίζετο, Ζαχαρίας δὲ ἐκήρυξε, Μωσῆς δὲ ἀνέγραψεν. Ἐπιγινώσκεις αὐτούς, Τρύφων; ἐν τοῖς ὑμετέροις ἀπόκεινται γράμμασι, μᾶλλον δὲ οὐχ ὑμετέροις ἀλλʼ ἡμετέροις· ἡμεῖς γὰρ αὐτοῖς πειθόμεθα, ὑμεῖς δὲ ἀναγινώσκοντες οὐ νοεῖτε τὸν ἐν αὐτοῖς νοῦν.
English · Claude translation
“In saying this I think I shall persuade even those who have little understanding. For these words have not been composed by me nor adorned by human art, but David sang them, Isaiah proclaimed them as good news, Zechariah preached them, and Moses wrote them down. Do you recognize them, Trypho? They are laid up in your writings, or rather not yours, but ours; for we obey them, but you read them and do not understand their meaning.
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- “Not yours, but ours”: an early statement of the Christian claim to the Jewish Scriptures.
Cite this passage
Justin, Dial. 29.2 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/justin-dialogue/29/2/).
Plain text
Justin, Dial. 29.2 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/justin-dialogue/29/2/).
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