Dialogue with Trypho (Selections From the Fathers of the Church, Volume 3)

Outside the New Testament, our earliest complete witness to Christian apologetic against the Jews remains the Dialogue with Trypho , written by Justin Martyr (d. ca. 165), a convert to Christianity from traditional Greek religion. The Dialogue purports to be a two-day dialogue that took place in Asia Minor between Justin and Trypho, a Hellenized Jew. Justin argues extensively on the basis of lengthy Old Testament quotations that Christ is the Messiah and God incarnate, and that the Christian community is the new Israel. In the beginning of the work Justin recounts how he converted to Christianity. The Dialogue remains of great, and varying, interest. It has important information on the development of Jewish-Christian relations, on the development of the text of the Old Testament, and on the existence and character of the early Jewish Christian community. Justin's story of how he became a Christian is one of our earliest conversion accounts. The Dialogue is an ideal textbook for classes investigating the development of religion in Late Antiquity since it touches on many aspects of religion in the Roman Empire. This edition of the Dialogue with Trypho is a revision of Thomas B. Falls's translation, which appeared in Fathers of the Church, vol. 6. Thomas P. Halton has emended the translation in light of the 1997 critical edition by Miroslav Marcovich, and he has provided extensive annotation to recent scholarship on the Dialogue . Michael Slusser has edited the volume to bring it into conformity with the new Selections from Fathers of the Church series. ABOUT THE TRANSLATOR: Thomas P. Halton is Professor Emeritus of Greek and Latin at the Catholic University of America. He has served as the general editor of the Fathers of the Church series since 1983. St. Justin Martyr: Dialogue with Trypho 4 Contents 6 Acknowledgments 8 Abbreviations 10 Introduction to This Edition 12 Introduction to the First Edition 16 Dialogue with Trypho 18 Justin meets Trypho 20 How Justin found philosophy 22 Justin offers to defend Christian belief 34 A new covenant, not a new God 37 Jewish ritual laws as a remedy for idolatry 48 A Christian interpretation of ritual laws 54 The Messiah: already here or still to come? 64 Divisions among Christians 71 The divinity of the Messiah 73 Scriptural types of Jesus 82 Those who live by the Law of Moses 85 The Messiah must be Jesus 90 The unity of God and the divinity of Christ 99 The virginal birth 114 Corrections to the text of Scripture 128 [The Second Day’s Discussion] 133 More on the birth of Jesus 134 Millennium at the end of the world 142 Interpreting Scripture about Christ 145 The problem of the crucifixion 156 How Christians read Psalm 22 165 The sign of Jonah 178 Reprise of points from the first day 181 Jesus as high priest 189 The Gentiles as God’s new people 195 The names of Christ in Scripture 206 The unity of God and the divinity of Christ: reprise 210 The election of the Jews and Gentiles 213 A final appeal 223 Conclusion 229 Select Bibliography 230 General Index 236 Index of Holy Scripture 240 Outside the New Testament, our earliest complete witness to Christian apologetic against the Jews remains the Dialogue with Trypho, written by Justin Martyr (d. ca. 165), a convert to Christianity from traditional Greek religion. The Dialogue purports to be a two-day dialogue that took place in Asia Minor between Justin and Trypho, a Hellenized Jew. Justin argues extensively on the basis of lengthy Old Testament quotations that Christ is the Messiah and God incarnate, and that the Christian community is the new Israel. In the beginning of the work Justin recounts how he converted to Christianity. The Dialogue contains important information on the development of Jewish-Christian relations, on the development of the text of the Old Testament, and on the existence and character of the early Jewish Christian community. Justin's story of how he became a Christian is one of our earliest conversion accounts. This edition of the Dialogue with Trypho is a revision of Thomas B. Falls's translation, which appeared in Fathers of the Church, vol. 6. Thomas P. Halton has emended the translation in light of the 1997 critical edition by Miroslav Marcovich, and he has provided extensive annotation to recent scholarship on the Dialogue. Justin Meets Trypho -- How Justin Found Philosophy -- Justin Offers To Defend Christian Belief -- A New Covenant, Not A New God -- Jewish Ritual Laws As A Remedy For Idolatry -- A Christian Interpretation Of Ritual Laws -- The Messiah: Already Here Or Still To Come? -- Divisions Among Christians -- The Divinity Of The Messiah -- Scriptural Types Of Jesus -- Those Who Live By The Law Of Moses -- The Messiah Must Be Jesus -- The Unity Of God And The Divinity Of Christ -- The Virginal Birth -- Corrections To The Text Of Scripture -- The Second Day's Discussion -- More On The Birth Of Jesus -- Millennium At The End Of The World -- Interpreting Scripture About Christ -- The Problem Of The Crucifixion -- How Christians Read Psalm 22 -- The Sign Of Jonah -- Reprise Of Points From The First Day -- Jesus As High Priest -- The Gentiles As God's New People -- The Names Of Christ In Scripture -- The Unity Of God And The Divinity Of Christ: Reprise -- The Election Of The Jews And Gentiles -- A Final Appeal. St. Justin Martyr ; Translated By Thomas B. Falls ; Revised And With A New Introduction By Thomas P. Halton ; Edited By Michael Slusser. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 213-215) And Indexes. Outside the New Testament, our earliest complete witness to Christian apologetic against the Jews remains the __Dialogue with Trypho__, written by Justin Martyr (d. ca. 165), a convert to Christianity from traditional Greek religion. The __Dialogue__ purports to be a two-day dialogue that took place in Asia Minor between Justin and Trypho, a Hellenized Jew. Justin argues extensively on the basis of lengthy Old Testament quotations that Christ is the Messiah and God incarnate, and that the Christian community is the new Israel. In the beginning of the work Justin recounts how he converted to Christianity. This edition of the __Dialogue with Trypho__ is a revision of Thomas B. Falls's translation, which appeared in Fathers of the Church, vol. 6. Thomas P. Halton has emended the translation in light of the 1997 critical edition by Miroslav Marcovich, and he has provided extensive annotation to recent scholarship on the __Dialogue__. Michael Slusser has edited the volume to bring it into conformity with the new Selections from Fathers of the Church series. ABOUT THE TRANSLATOR: This translation of the ""Dialogue with Trypho"" reveals important information on the development of early Jewish-Christian relations and the text of the New Testament, and is one of the earliest conversion accounts. It should prove a useful text on the development of religion in Late Antiquity. Early one morning as I was walking along the colonnades of the gymnasium, a man, accompanied by some friends, came up to me and said, "Good morning, Philosopher."