Dialogue with Trypho
Chapter 85: He Proves that Christ is the Lord of Hosts from Psalm 24, and from His Authority Over Demons
Some of you try to interpret the prophecy, "Lift up your gates, rulers; and be lifted up, everlasting doors, that the King of glory may enter," as if it also referred to Hezekiah, and others interpret it as Solomon; but it can't be proven to refer to either of them or any of your kings. It refers only to our Christ, who appeared without beauty and without glory, as Isaiah, David, and all the Scriptures state; who is the Lord of hosts, by the will of the Father who gave Him the honor; who also rose from the dead and ascended to heaven, as the Psalm and other Scriptures declare when they call Him the Lord of hosts.
You can easily be convinced of this by the events happening before your eyes. For every demon, when exorcised in the name of this very Son of God—who is the Firstborn of all creation, who became man through the Virgin, who suffered and was crucified under Pontius Pilate by your nation, who died, who rose from the dead, and ascended into heaven—is defeated and subdued.
But if you exorcise any demon in the name of any of those who were among you—either kings, righteous men, prophets, or patriarchs—it won't be subject to you.
Yet, if any of you exorcise it in the name of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, it might be subject to you. Your exorcists, as I have said, use trickery when they exorcise, just as the Gentiles do, employing fumigations and incantations.
But that they are angels and powers whom the word of prophecy by David commands to lift up the gates so that He who rose from the dead, Jesus Christ, the Lord of hosts, according to the will of the Father, might enter, the word of David has also shown; which I shall repeat for those who were not with us yesterday and for whose benefit I summarize many things I said yesterday.
And now, if I tell you this, even though I have repeated it many times, I know it's not absurd to do so. For it's ridiculous to see the sun, moon, and stars continually following the same course and bringing about the different seasons, and to see the computer asked how much two times two equals, because he has often said they are four, not stopping from saying again that they are four; and equally, other things confidently accepted are continually mentioned and accepted in the same way; yet that he who bases his discourse on the prophetic Scriptures should ignore them and refrain from continually referring to the same Scriptures because it's thought he can present something better than Scripture.
The passage by which I proved that God reveals there are both angels and hosts in heaven is this: "Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise Him in the highest. Praise Him, all His angels; praise Him, all His hosts."
Then one of those who had come with them on the second day, named Mnaseas, said, "We are greatly pleased that you are willing to repeat the same things for our sake."
And I said, "Listen, my friends, to the Scripture that prompts me to act this way. Jesus commanded us to love even our enemies, as was predicted by Isaiah in many passages, which also contains the mystery of our own regeneration, as well as the regeneration of all who expect that Christ will appear in Jerusalem, and who earnestly strive to please Him by their works. These are the words spoken by Isaiah: ‘Hear the word of the Lord, you who tremble at His word.
Say, our brethren, to those that hate you and detest you, that the name of the Lord has been glorified. He has appeared to your joy, and they shall be ashamed. A voice of noise from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of the Lord who gives recompense to the proud. Before she who labored gave birth, and before the pains of labor came, she brought forth a male child. Who has heard such a thing? and who has seen such a thing? Has the earth brought forth in one day? and has she produced a nation at once? for Zion has labored and borne her children.
But I have given such an expectation even to her who does not bring forth, said the Lord. Behold, I have made her who gives birth, and her who is barren, says the Lord. Rejoice, O Jerusalem, and hold a joyous assembly, all you who love her. Be glad, all you who mourn for her, that you may suck and be filled with the breast of her consolation, that having suck you may be delighted with the entrance of His glory.’"