Dialogue with Trypho

"If I set out," I said, "to prove this through human doctrines or arguments, you wouldn't put up with me. But if I frequently quote Scriptures, and many of them relate to this point, and ask you to understand them, you are being stubborn in acknowledging the mind and will of God. If you wish to remain like this forever, I would not be harmed at all; retaining the same opinions I had before I met you, I will leave you."

And Trypho said, "Look, my friend, you mastered these truths with much effort and toil. Therefore, we must carefully examine everything we encounter to agree with the things that the Scriptures compel us to believe."

Then I said to this, “I do not ask you to refrain from striving earnestly in every way to investigate the matters in question, but when you have nothing to say, do not contradict what you said you had admitted.”

And Trypho said, "We will endeavor to do so."

I continued again: "Besides the questions I just asked you, I want to ask more, because with these questions I will try to bring the discussion to a quick conclusion."

And Trypho said, "Ask the questions."

Then I said, "Do you think that anyone else is considered worthy of worship and called Lord and God in the Scriptures, except the Maker of all, and Christ, who through so many Scriptures was proven to you to have become man?"

And Trypho replied, "How can we accept this, when we have conducted such a thorough investigation to determine if there is anyone other than the Father alone?"

Then I said again, "I must ask you this too, so I can know whether or not you have a different opinion from what you admitted some time ago."

He replied, "It isn't, sir."

Since you indeed admit these things, and since Scripture says, ‘Who shall declare His generation?’ shouldn't you now consider that He is not the seed of a human race?

And Trypho said, “How then does the Word tell David that from his descendants God will take to Himself a Son, establish His kingdom, and set Him on the throne of His glory?”

And I said, “Trypho, if Isaiah's prophecy, ‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive,’ was directed not to the house of David but to another of the twelve tribes, the matter might have some difficulty. However, since this prophecy pertains to the house of David, Isaiah has explained how what was spoken by God to David in mystery would happen. But perhaps you are not aware, my friends, that many sayings were written obscurely, or parabolically, or mysteriously, along with symbolic actions, which the prophets who lived after those who said or did them explained.”

"Certainly," said Trypho.

If, therefore, I can show that this prophecy of Isaiah refers to our Christ and not to Hezekiah, as you claim, will I not also compel you to doubt your teachers, who assert that the explanation given by your seventy elders with Ptolemy, the king of the Egyptians, is false in certain respects? Some statements in the Scriptures clearly reveal their foolish and vain views, but they claim those were not written as such. Other statements, which they believe they can twist to fit human actions, they assert do not refer to our Jesus Christ but to someone else they favor in their explanations. For example, they have taught you that this Scripture we are discussing refers to Hezekiah, and I promised to show they are mistaken. While they are forced to agree that some Scriptures we mention, which clearly show that Christ was to suffer, be worshipped, and called God, do refer to Christ, they claim this man is not Christ. Yet, they admit that He will come to suffer, reign, and be worshipped as God; I will show this opinion to be absurd and foolish. But since I am urged to first respond to what you said in jest, I will do so, and then address the rest.