Dialogue with Trypho 78.9

Summary: The “power of Damascus” is the demon from whom the Magi were set free by worshiping Christ.

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Greek text · Archambault 2:22–24

Καὶ γὰρ τὸ εἰπεῖν τὸν Ἡσαΐαν· Λήψεται δύναμιν Δαμασκοῦ καὶ σκύλα Σαμαρείας, τὴν τοῦ πονηροῦ δαίμονος, τοῦ ἐν Δαμασκῷ οἰκοῦντος, δύναμιν ἐσήμαινε νικηθήσεσθαι τῷ Χριστῷ ἅμα τῷ γεννηθῆναι· ὅπερ δείκνυται γεγενημένον. Οἱ γὰρ μάγοι, οἵτινες ἐσκυλευμένοι ἦσαν πρὸς πάσας κακὰς πράξεις, τὰς ἐνεργουμένας ὑπὸ τοῦ δαιμονίου ἐκείνου, ἐλθόντες καὶ προσκυνήσαντες τῷ Χριστῷ φαίνονται ἀποστάντες τῆς σκυλευσάσης αὐτοὺς δυνάμεως ἐκείνης, ἣν ἐν μυστηρίῳ ἐσήμαινεν ἡμῖν ὁ λόγος οἰκεῖν ἐν Δαμασκῷ.

English · Claude translation

“For Isaiah's saying, ‘He shall take the power of Damascus and the spoils of Samaria,’ signified that the power of the evil demon that dwelt in Damascus would be overcome by Christ as soon as he was born; which is shown to have happened. For the Magi, who had been despoiled for every evil deed worked by that demon, came and worshiped Christ, and are seen to have departed from that power which had despoiled them, which the word indicated to us in a mystery as dwelling in Damascus.

About this passage

Source
Archambault 2:22–24 · Georges Archambault, ed., Justin: Dialogue avec Tryphon, 2 vols., Textes et documents pour l'étude historique du christianisme 8, 11 (Paris: Picard, 1909) · Greek text: G. Archambault, Justin: Dialogue avec Tryphon (Paris, 1909), digitized by the Perseus Digital Library and published by the First Thousand Years of Greek project (Open Greek and Latin), CC BY-SA 4.0
Translation
Claude translation (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-26 · Translated by Claude from the Greek text of Archambault (1909); made independently of existing English translations.
Scripture
  • Isa 8:4 · quotation, high confidence
Topics
Christology

Notes

Notes on the original text

  • Digital text corrected (digitization slip against Archambault's printed text (wrong accent)): τῷ Χριστῳ φαίνονται → τῷ Χριστῷ φαίνονται.

Cite this passage

Justin, Dial. 78.9 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/justin-dialogue/78/9/).

Plain text
Justin, Dial. 78.9 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/justin-dialogue/78/9/).

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