Dialogue with Trypho

For [God] presents to every race of humanity what is always and universally just, along with all righteousness; and every group understands that adultery, fornication, homicide, and similar acts are sinful. Even though they all engage in such behaviors, they cannot ignore the awareness that they act unrighteously when they do so, except for those who are possessed by an unclean spirit, corrupted by education, by wicked customs, and by sinful institutions, and who have lost—or more accurately, extinguished—their natural understanding.

We can see that such individuals are unwilling to endure the same things they impose on others and criticize each other with guilty consciences for the actions they commit.

Therefore, I believe our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ spoke truthfully when he summed up all righteousness and piety in two commandments: 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your strength, and your neighbor as yourself.' For the person who loves God with all their heart and strength, being filled with a God-fearing mind, will honor no other god; and since God desires it, he would honor the angel who is loved by the same Lord and God.

The person who loves their neighbor as themselves will wish for them the same good things they desire for themselves, and no one wishes harm upon themselves.

Consequently, someone who loves their neighbor would pray and strive for their neighbor to have the same benefits they have. No other being is as close to man as another similarly-disposed and rational being—man.

Therefore, since all righteousness has two aspects, one concerning God and the other concerning humans, whoever, according to Scripture, loves the Lord God with all their heart and strength and their neighbor as themselves would truly be a righteous person.

But you have never been shown to possess friendship or love towards God, or the prophets, or yourselves. Instead, as is clear, you are continually found to be idolaters and murderers of righteous people, even laying hands on Christ Himself; and to this day, you remain in your wickedness, cursing those who prove that this man who was crucified by you is the Christ.

Moreover, you mistakenly believe that He was crucified as if He were hostile to and cursed by God, which belief is the result of your irrational thinking.

For even though you can understand that this man is Christ from the signs given by Moses, you refuse to do so; furthermore, thinking we lack arguments, you raise whatever question comes to mind, while you yourselves struggle for arguments whenever you encounter a well-established Christian.