The Second Apology and Dialogue with Trypho, a Jew
- Language:
- English
- Translation:
- Marcus Dods i George Reith
- Status:
- Complete work
- Authorship:
- Written by the author
- Condition of the text:
- Clean text
- Extent:
- ~95,400 words · 453 passages
Cite this work
- APAJustin Martyr. (n.d.). The Second Apology and Dialogue with Trypho, a Jew. SigPhi. https://sigphiai.com/en/works/justin-martyr/the-second-apology-and-dialogue-with-trypho-a-jew
- MLAJustin Martyr. "The Second Apology and Dialogue with Trypho, a Jew." SigPhi, https://sigphiai.com/en/works/justin-martyr/the-second-apology-and-dialogue-with-trypho-a-jew.
- ChicagoJustin Martyr. The Second Apology and Dialogue with Trypho, a Jew. SigPhi. https://sigphiai.com/en/works/justin-martyr/the-second-apology-and-dialogue-with-trypho-a-jew.
What it is about
Two texts of Justin, a philosopher converted and martyred around 165: the second defence of the Christians before the emperor, and the dialogue with a Jew named Trypho.
Context and history
Justin was the first to try to explain Christianity in the vocabulary of Greek philosophy, and the first to say that the pagan philosophers who lived according to reason — Socrates among them — were Christians without knowing it, because reason is the same Logos that afterwards took flesh. The 'Second Apology' is short and arises from a particular case: three Christians executed at Rome for no offence but the name. The 'Dialogue with Trypho' is the earliest surviving argument between a Christian and a Jew, and a historical document of the first order on how the two religions separated; it should be read knowing that we have only Justin's voice, and that Trypho speaks there as his author wishes. Justin was beheaded at Rome; hence his name.
Editorial context, not a citable source: unlike the passages of the work itself, these statements cannot be checked against the corpus.
or neighbour, or child, or friend, or brother, or husband, or wife, for a fault, for being hard to move, for loving pleasure and being hard to urge to what is right (except those who have been persuaded that the unjust and intemperate shall be punished in eternal fire, but that the virtuous and those who lived like Christ shall dwell with God in a state that is free from suffering, — we mean, those who have become Christians), and the evil demons, who hate us, and who keep such men as these subject to themselves, and serving them in the capacity of judges, incite them, as rulers actuated by evil spirits, to put us to death. But that the cause of all that has taken place under Urbicus may become quite plain to you, I will relate what has been done. CHAP. II. — URBICUS CONDEMNS THE CHRISTIANS TO DEATH. A certain woman lived with an intemperate ■» husband ; she herself, too, having formerly been intemperate. But when she came to the knowledge of the teachings of Christ she became sober-minded, and endeavoured to persuade her IJ Literally, " both yesterday and the day before." = [See Grabe's note on the conjecture of Valesius that this prelect was LoUius Urbicus, the historian (vol. i. p. i, and notes, p. i).] 3 [He has addressed them as " Romans," because in this they gloried together, — emperor, senate, soldiers, and citizens.] * aito.\a<TTa.ifoi'ri, which word includes unchastity, as well as the other form.-, of intempe