Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho

And Trypho said, “Being shaken247 Literally, “importuned.” by so many Scriptures, I know not what to say about the Scripture which Isaiah writes, in which God says that He gives not His glory to another, speaking thus ‘I am the Lord God; this is my name; my glory will I not give to another, nor my virtues.’ ”248 Isa. xlii. 8.

And I answered, “If you spoke these words, Trypho, and then kept silence in simplicity and with no ill intent, neither repeating what goes before nor adding what comes after, you must be forgiven; but if [you have done so] because you imagined that you could throw doubt on the passage, in order that I might say the Scriptures contradicted each other, you have erred. But I shall not venture to suppose or to say such a thing; and if a Scripture which appears to be of such a kind be brought forward, and if there be a pretext [for saying] that it is contrary [to some other], since I am entirely convinced that no Scripture contradicts another, I shall admit rather that I do not understand what is recorded, and shall strive to persuade those who imagine that the Scriptures are contradictory, to be rather of the same opinion as myself. With what intent, then, you have brought forward the difficulty, God knows. But I shall remind you of what the passage says, in order that you may recognise even from this very [place] that God gives glory to His Christ alone. And I shall take up some short passages, sirs, those which are in connection with what has been said by Trypho, and those which are also joined on in consecutive order. For I will not repeat those of another section, but those which are joined together in one. Do you also give me your attention. [The words] are these: ‘Thus saith the Lord, the God that created the heavens, and made249 Literally, “fixed.” them fast, that established the earth, and that which is in it; and gave breath to the people upon it, and spirit to them who walk therein: I the Lord God have called Thee in righteousness, and will hold Thine hand, and will strengthen Thee; and I have given Thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles, to open the eyes of the blind, to bring out them that are bound from the chains, and those who sit in darkness from the prison-house. I am the Lord God; this is my name: my glory will I not give to another, nor my virtues to graven images. Behold, the former things are come to pass; new things which I announce, and before they are announced they are made manifest to you. Sing unto the Lord a new song: His sovereignty [is] from the end of the earth. [Sing], ye who descend into the sea, and continually sail250 Or, “ye islands which sail on it;” or without “continually.” [on it]; ye islands, and inhabitants thereof. Rejoice, O wilderness, and the villages thereof, and the houses; and the inhabitants of Cedar shall rejoice, and the inhabitants of the rock shall cry aloud from the top of the mountains: they shall give glory to God; they shall publish His virtues among the islands. The Lord God of hosts shall go forth, He shall destroy war utterly, He shall stir up zeal, and He shall cry aloud to the enemies with strength.’ ”251 Isa. xlii. 5–13. And when I repeated this, I said to them, “Have you perceived, my friends, that God says He will give Him whom He has established as a light of the Gentiles, glory, and to no other; and not, as Trypho said, that God was retaining the glory to Himself?”

Then Trypho answered, “We have perceived this also; pass on therefore to the remainder of the discourse.”

[65] Καὶ ὁ Τρύφων ἔφη: Ὑπὸ τῶν τοσούτων γραφῶν δυσωπούμενος οὐκ οἶδα τί φῶ περὶ τῆς γραφῆς ἣν ἔφη Ἠσαίας, καθ' ἣν ὁ θεὸς οὐδενὶ ἑτέρῳ δοῦναι τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ λέγει, οὕτως εἰπών: Ἐγὼ κύριος ὁ θεός, τοῦτό μου ὄνομα, τὴν δόξαν μου ἑτέρῳ οὐ μὴ δώσω οὐδὲ τὰς ἀρετάς μου. Κἀγώ: Εἰ μὲν ἁπλῶς καὶ μὴ μετὰ κακίας τούτους τοὺς λόγους εἰπὼν ἐσίγησας, ὦ Τρύφων, μήτε τοὺς πρὸ αὐτῶν προειπὼν μήτε τοὺς ἐπακολουθοῦντας συνάψας, συγγνωστὸς εἶ, εἰ δὲ χάριν τοῦ νομίζειν δύνασθαι εἰς ἀπορίαν ἐμβάλλειν τὸν λόγον, ἵν' εἴπω ἐναντίας εἶναι τὰς γραφὰς ἀλλήλαις, πεπλάνησαι: οὐ γὰρ τολμήσω τοῦτό ποτε ἢ ἐνθυμηθῆναι ἢ εἰπεῖν, ἀλλ' ἐὰν τοιαύτη τις δοκοῦσα εἶναι γραφὴ προβληθῇ, καὶ πρόφασιν ἔχῃ ὡς ἐναντία οὖσα, ἐκ παντὸς πεπεισμένος ὅτι οὐδεμία γραφὴ τῇ ἑτέρᾳ ἐναντία ἐστίν, αὐτὸς μὴ νοεῖν μᾶλλον ὁμολογήσω τὰ εἰρημένα, καὶ τοὺς ἐναντίας τὰς γραφὰς ὑπολαμβάνοντας τὸ αὐτὸ φρονεῖν μᾶλλον ἐμοὶ πεῖσαι ἀγωνίσομαι. ὅπως δ' ἂν ᾖς προτεθεικὼς τὸ πρόβλημα, θεὸς ἐπίσταται. ἐγὼ δὲ ὡς εἴρηται ὁ λόγος ἀναμνήσω ὑμᾶς, ὅπως καὶ ἐξ αὐτοῦ τούτου γνωρίσητε ὅτι ὁ θεὸς τῷ Χριστῷ αὐτοῦ μόνῳ τὴν δόξαν δίδωσιν. ἀναλήψομαι δὲ βραχεῖς τινας λόγους, ὦ ἄνδρες, τοὺς ἐν συναφείᾳ τῶν εἰρημένων ὑπὸ τοῦ Τρύφωνος καὶ τοὺς ὁμοίως συνημμένους κατ' ἐπακολούθησιν: οὐ γὰρ ἐξ ἑτέρας περικοπῆς αὐτοὺς ἐρῶ, ἀλλ' ὑφ' ἓν ὥς εἰσι συνημμένοι: καὶ ὑμεῖς τὸν νοῦν χρήσατέ μοι. εἰσὶ δὲ οὗτοι: Οὕτως λέγει κύριος ὁ θεός, ὁ ποιήσας τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ πήξας αὐτόν, ὁ στερεώσας τὴν γῆν καὶ τὰ ἐν αὐτῇ, καὶ διδοὺς πνοὴν τῷ λαῷ τῷ ἐπ' αὐτῆς καὶ πνεῦμα τοῖς πατοῦσιν αὐτήν: Ἐγὼ κύριος ὁ θεὸς ἐκάλεσά σε ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ, καὶ κρατήσω τῆς χειρός σου καὶ ἰσχύσω σε, καὶ ἔδωκά σε εἰς διαθήκην γένους, εἰς φῶς ἐθνῶν, ἀνοῖξαι ὀφθαλμοὺς τυφλῶν, ἐξαγαγεῖν ἐκ δεσμῶν πεπεδημένους καὶ ἐξ οἴκου φυλακῆς καθημένους ἐν σκότει. ἐγὼ κύριος ὁ θεός, τοῦτό μου ὄνομα, τὴν δόξαν μου ἑτέρῳ οὐ μὴ δώσω οὐδὲ τὰς ἀρετάς μου τοῖς γλυπτοῖς. τὰ ἀπ' ἀρχῆς ἰδοὺ ἥκει, καινὰ ἃ ἐγὼ ἀναγγέλλω, καὶ πρὸ τοῦ ἀναγγεῖλαι ἐδηλώθη ὑμῖν. Ὑμνήσατε τῷ θεῷ ὕμνον καινόν: ἀρχὴ αὐτοῦ ἀπ' ἄκρου τῆς γῆς: οἱ καταβαίνοντες τὴν θάλασσαν καὶ πλέοντες ἀεί, νῆσοι καὶ οἱ κατοικοῦντες αὐτάς. εὐφράνθητι ἔρημος καὶ αἱ κῶμαι αὐτῶν καὶ αἱ ἐπαύλεις, καὶ οἱ κατοικοῦντες Κηδὰρ εὐφρανθήσονται, καὶ οἱ κατοικοῦντες πέτραν ἀπ' ἄκρου τῶν ὀρέων βοήσονται. δώσουσι τῷ θεῷ δόξαν, τὰς ἀρετὰς αὐτοῦ ἐν ταῖς νήσοις ἀναγγελοῦσι. Κύριος ὁ θεὸς τῶν δυνάμεων ἐξελεύσεται, συντρίψει πόλεμον, ἐπεγερεῖ ζῆλον καὶ βοήσεται ἐπὶ τοὺς ἐχθροὺς μετ' ἰσχύος. καὶ ταῦτα εἰπὼν ἔφην πρὸς αὐτούς: Νενοήκατε, ὦ φίλοι, ὅτι ὁ θεὸς λέγει δώσειν τούτῳ, ὃν εἰς φῶς ἐθνῶν κατέστησε, δόξαν καὶ οὐκ ἄλλῳ τινί, ἀλλ' οὐχ, ὡς ἔφη Τρύφων, ὡς ἑαυτῷ κατέχοντος τοῦ θεοῦ τὴν δόξαν; Καὶ ὁ Τρύφων ἀπεκρίνατο: Νενοήκαμεν καὶ τοῦτο: πέραινε τοιγαροῦν καὶ τὰ ἐπίλοιπα τοῦ λόγου.