Dialogue with Trypho

As circumcision began with Abraham and the Sabbath, sacrifices, offerings, and feasts began with Moses, it has been shown that these practices were commanded due to the hardness of your people's heart. Likewise, it was necessary, according to the Father's will, that they should end in Him who was born of a virgin, from the family of Abraham, the tribe of Judah, and the line of David—in Christ, the Son of God, who was announced as coming to the entire world, to be the everlasting law and covenant, as the earlier prophecies indicate. We, who have approached God through Him, have received not a physical but a spiritual circumcision, which Enoch and those like him followed. We have received it through baptism, since we were sinners, by God's mercy; and everyone may equally obtain it. But since the mystery of His birth now requires our focus, I will discuss it.

Isaiah stated regarding the birth of Christ that it could not be described by man, as previously quoted: ‘Who can describe His generation? For His life is taken from the earth: for the transgressions of my people He was led to death.’ The Spirit of prophecy declared that the birth of Him who was to die, so that we sinful humans might be healed by His wounds, was such that it could not be described. Furthermore, to give those who believe in Him the understanding of how He came into the world, the Spirit of prophecy, through the same Isaiah, foretold it would happen like this: ‘And the Lord spoke again to Ahaz, saying, Ask for a sign from the Lord your God, from below or above. And Ahaz replied, I will not ask, nor will I test the Lord. And Isaiah said, Listen then, house of David; is it not enough for you to challenge humans, and why do you challenge the Lord? Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a sign. Look, the virgin will conceive and bear a son, and his name will be called Immanuel. He will eat butter and honey before he knows to reject evil and choose good; for before the child knows good or ill, he rejects evil by choosing good. Before the child knows how to call father or mother, he will take possession of the power of Damascus and the spoils of Samaria in front of the king of Assyria. And the land will be abandoned, which you will struggle to endure due to the presence of its two kings. But God will bring upon you, your people, and your father's house days that have not yet come since the day Ephraim separated from Judah with the king of Assyria.’

Now it is clear to everyone that in the line of Abraham according to the flesh, no one has been born of a virgin or is said to have been born of a virgin except our Christ. But since you and your teachers claim that in Isaiah's prophecy it does not say, ‘Look, the virgin shall conceive,’ but rather, ‘Look, the young woman shall conceive and bear a son,’ and since you interpret the prophecy as if it referred to Hezekiah, who was your king, I will attempt to briefly counter this point and show that the reference is to Him whom we recognize as Christ.