Dialogue with Trypho
Chapter 65: The Jew Argues that God Doesn't Share His Glory with Anyone. Justin Clarifies the Scripture
And Trypho said, "I am troubled by so many Scriptures that I do not know what to say about the Scripture which Isaiah writes, where God says that He does not give His glory to another, speaking like this: ‘I am the Lord God; this is my name; I will not give my glory to another, nor my virtues.’"
And I replied, "If you spoke these words, Trypho, and then remained silent without any ill intent, not repeating what came before or adding what follows, you must be forgiven.
But if you did this to cast doubt on the passage so that I might say the Scriptures contradict each other, you are mistaken. I will not dare to imply or state such a thing. If a Scripture that seems contradictory is brought forth, and if there appears to be a reason to say it is contrary to another, since I am fully convinced that no Scripture contradicts another, I would rather admit that I do not understand what is written and strive to persuade those who think the Scriptures are contradictory to hold the same view as myself.
God knows your intent in presenting this difficulty.
But I will remind you of what the passage states so that you may recognize from this very point that God gives glory only to His Christ. I will take up some short passages, those related to what Trypho mentioned, and those connected in order. I will not repeat those from another section but only those joined in one. Please give me your attention. The words are these: ‘Thus says the Lord, the God who created the heavens and made them firm, who established the earth and what is in it, and gave breath to the people upon it, and spirit to those who walk in it: I, the Lord God, have called You in righteousness, and will hold Your hand and strengthen You; and I have given You for a covenant of the people, for a light to the Gentiles, to open the eyes of the blind, to bring out those who are bound from chains, and those who sit in darkness from the prison.
I am the Lord God; this is my name: my glory I will not give to another, nor my virtues to carved images. Behold, the former things have come to pass; new things I announce, and before they happen, they are made known to you. Sing to the Lord a new song: His sovereignty is from the end of the earth. Sing, you who descend into the sea and continually sail on it; you islands and inhabitants of them. Rejoice, O wilderness, and its villages, and the houses; and the inhabitants of Kedar shall rejoice, and the inhabitants of the rock shall shout from the mountaintops: they shall give glory to God; they shall declare His virtues among the islands.
The Lord God of hosts shall go forth, He shall destroy war completely, He shall stir up zeal, and He shall cry out to the enemies with strength.’" And when I repeated this, I said to them, "Have you noticed, my friends, that God says He will give glory to Him whom He has established as a light of the Gentiles, and to no other; and not, as Trypho claimed, that God was keeping the glory for Himself?"
Then Trypho answered, "We have understood this as well; continue therefore with the rest of the discussion."