Übersetzung ausblenden
Dialogue of Justin, Philosopher and Martyr, with Trypho, a Jew

Chapter CXII.--The Jews expound these signs jejunely and feebly, and take up their attention only with insignificant matters.

"But you, expounding these things in a low [and earthly] manner, impute much weakness to God, if you thus listen to them merely, and do not investigate the force of the words spoken. Since even Moses would in this way be considered a transgressor: for he enjoined that no likeness of anything in heaven, or on earth, or in the sea, be made; and then he himself made a brazen serpent and set it on a standard, and bade those who were bitten look at it: and they were saved when they looked at it. Will the serpent, then, which (I have already said) God had in the beginning cursed and cut off by the great sword, as Isaiah says, ¹ be understood as having preserved at that time the people? and shall we receive these things in the foolish acceptation of your teachers, and [regard] them not as signs? And shall we not rather refer the standard to the resemblance of the crucified Jesus, since also Moses by his outstretched hands, together with him who was named Jesus (Joshua), achieved a victory for your people? For in this way we shall cease to be at a loss about the things which the lawgiver did, when he, without forsaking God, persuaded the people to hope in a beast through which transgression and disobedience had their origin. And this was done and said by the blessed prophet with much intelligence and mystery; and there is nothing said or done by any one of the prophets, without exception, which one can justly reprehend, if he possess the knowledge which is in them. But if your teachers only expound to you why female camels are spoken of in this passage, and are not in that; or why so many measures of fine flour and so many measures of oil [are used] in the offerings; and do so in a low and sordid manner, while they never venture either to speak of or to expound the points which are great and worthy of investigation, or command you to give no audience to us while we expound them, and to come not into conversation with us; will they not deserve to hear what our Lord Jesus Christ said to them: Whited sepulchres, which appear beautiful outward, and within are full of dead men's bones; which pay tithe of mint, and swallow a camel: ye blind guides!' ² If, then, you will not despise the doctrines of those who exalt themselves and wish to be called Rabbi, Rabbi, and come with such earnestness and intelligence to the words of prophecy as to suffer the same inflictions from your own people which the prophets themselves did, you cannot receive any advantage whatsoever from the prophetic writings.

Edition ausblenden
Dialogus cum Tryphono Judaeo

112

1. Ὑμεῖς δέ, ταῦτα ταπεινῶς ἐξηγούμενοι, πολλὴν ἀσθένειαν καταψηφίζεσθε τοῦ θεοῦ, εἰ ταῦτα οὕτως ψιλῶς ἀκούοιτε καὶ μὴ τὴν δύναμιν ἐξετάζοιτε τῶν εἰρημένων. ἐπεὶ καὶ Μωυσῆς οὕτω παράνομος ἂν κριθείη· αὐτὸς γὰρ παραγγείλας μηδενὸς ὁμοίωμα γίνεσθαι, μήτε τῶν ἐπὶ τῷ οὐρανῷ μήτε τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς ἢ θαλάσσης, ἔπειτα ὄφιν χαλκοῦν αὐτὸς ἐποίει, καὶ στήσας ἐπὶ σημείου τινὸς ἐκέλευσεν εἰς αὐτὸν ὁρᾶν τοὺς δεδηγμένους· οἱ δ' ἐσώζοντο εἰς αὐτὸν ἀποβλέποντες. 2 ὁ ὄφις ἄρα νοηθήσεται σεσωκέναι τὸν λαὸν τότε, ὅν, προεῖπον, κατηράσατο ὁ θεὸς τὴν ἀρχήν, καὶ ἀνελεῖ διὰ τῆς μεγάλης μαχαίρας, ὡς Ἠσαίας βοᾷ; καὶ οὕτως ἀφρόνως παραδεξόμεθα τὰ τοιαῦτα, ὡς οἱ διδάσκαλοι ὑμῶν φασι, καὶ οὐ σύμβολα; οὐχὶ δὲ ἀνοίσομεν ἐπὶ τὴν εἰκόνα τοῦ σταυρωθέντος Ἰησοῦ τὸ σημεῖον, ἐπεὶ καὶ Μωυσῆς διὰ τῆς ἐκτάσεως τῶν χειρῶν σὺν τῷ ἐπικληθέντι Ἰησοῦ ὀνόματι καὶ νικᾶν τὸν λαὸν ὑμῶν εἰργάζοντο; 3 οὕτω γὰρ καὶ τοῦ ἀπορεῖν περὶ ὧν ἐποίησεν ὁ νομοθέτης παυσόμεθα. οὐ γὰρ καταλιπὼν τὸν θεὸν ἐπὶ θηρίον, δι' οὗ ἡ παράβασις καὶ παρακοὴ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἔλαβεν, ἔπειθε τὸν λαὸν ἐλπίζειν. καὶ ταῦτα μετὰ πολλοῦ νοῦ καὶ μυστηρίου γέγονε καὶ ἐρρέθη διὰ τοῦ μακαρίου προφήτου· καὶ οὐδέν ἐστιν ὅ τις μέμψασθαι δικαίως ἔχει τῶν λελεγμένων ἢ γεγενημένων ὑπὸ πάντων ἁπλῶς τῶν προφητῶν, ἐὰν τὴν γνῶσιν τὴν ἐν αὐτοῖς ἔχητε. 4 ἐὰν δὲ ὅσοι διδάσκαλοι ὑμῶν, διὰ τί κάμηλοι μὲν θήλειαι ἐν τῷδε τῷ τόπῳ οὐ λέγονται, ἢ τί εἰσιν αἱ λεγόμεναι κάμηλοι θήλειαι, ἢ διὰ τί σεμιδάλεως μέτρα τόσα καὶ ἐλαίου μέτρα τόσα ἐν ταῖς προσφοραῖς, μόνα ἐξηγοῦνται ὑμῖν, καὶ ταῦτα ταπεινῶς καὶ χαμερπῶς, τὰ δὲ μεγάλα καὶ ἄξια ζητήσεως μηδέποτε τολμῶσι λέγειν μηδὲ ἐξηγεῖσθαι, ἢ καὶ ἡμῶν ἐξηγουμένων παραγγέλλουσιν ὑμῖν μηδὲ ὅλως ἐπαΐειν μηδὲ εἰς κοινωνίαν λόγων ἐλθεῖν, οὐχὶ δικαίως ἀκούσονται ἅπερ πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἔφη ὁ ἡμέτερος κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστός· Τάφοι κεκονιαμένοι, ἔξωθεν φαινόμενοι ὡραῖοι καὶ ἔσωθεν γέμοντες ὀστέων νεκρῶν, τὸ ἡδύοσμον ἀποδεκατοῦντες, τὴν δὲ κάμηλον καταπίνοντες, τυφλοὶ ὁδηγοί; 5 ἐὰν οὖν μὴ τῶν διδαγμάτων τῶν ἑαυτοὺς ὑψούντων καὶ θελόντων Ῥαββὶ ῥαββὶ καλεῖσθαι καταφρονήσητε, καὶ μετὰ τοιαύτης ἐνστάσεως καὶ νοῦ τοῖς προφητικοῖς λόγοις προσέλθητε, ἵνα τὰ αὐτὰ πάθητε ὑπὸ τῶν ὑμετέρων ἀνθρώπων ἃ καὶ αὐτοὶ οἱ προφῆται ἔπαθον, οὐ δύνασθε ὅλως οὐδὲν ἀπὸ τῶν προφητικῶν ὠφέλιμον λαβεῖν.