Chapter XXXVI.—He proves that Christ is called Lord of Hosts.
Then he replied, “Let these things be so as you say—namely, that it was foretold Christ
would suffer, and be called a stone; and after His first appearance, in which it had been an-
nounced He would suffer, would come in glory, and be Judge finally of all, and eternal King
and Priest. Now show if this man be He of whom these prophecies were made.”
And I said, “As you wish, Trypho, I shall come to these proofs which you seek in the
fitting place; but now you will permit me first to recount the prophecies, which I wish to do
in order to prove that Christ is called both God and Lord of hosts, and Jacob, in parable by
the Holy Spirit; and your interpreters, as God says, are foolish, since they say that reference
is made to Solomon and not to Christ, when he bore the ark of testimony into the temple
which he built. The Psalm of David is this: ‘The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof;
the world, and all that dwell therein. He hath founded it upon the seas, and prepared it upon
the floods. Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in His holy place?
He that is clean of hands and pure of heart: who has not received his soul in vain, and has
not sworn guilefully to his neighbour: he shall receive blessing from the Lord, and mercy
from God his Saviour. This is the generation of them that seek the Lord, that seek the face
of the God of Jacob.275 Lift up your gates, ye rulers; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors;
and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty
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in battle. Lift up your gates, ye rulers; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King
of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of
glory.’276 Accordingly, it is shown that Solomon is not the Lord of hosts; but when our
Christ rose from the dead and ascended to heaven, the rulers in heaven, under appointment
of God, are commanded to open the gates of heaven, that He who is King of glory may enter
in, and having ascended, may sit on the right hand of the Father until He make the enemies
His footstool, as has been made manifest by another Psalm. For when the rulers of heaven
saw Him of uncomely and dishonoured appearance, and inglorious, not recognising Him,
they inquired, ‘Who is this King of glory?’ And the Holy Spirit, either from the person of
His Father, or from His own person, answers them, ‘The Lord of hosts, He is this King of
glory.’ For every one will confess that not one of those who presided over the gates of the
temple at Jerusalem would venture to say concerning Solomon, though he was so glorious
a king, or concerning the ark of testimony, ‘Who is this King of glory?’
275 Maranus remarks from Thirlby: “As Justin wrote a little before, ‘and is called Jacob in parable,’ it seems
to convince us that Justin wrote, ‘thy face, O Jacob.’ ” [The meaning in this latter case becomes plain, if we observe
that “O Israel” is equivalent to, and means, “O house of Jacob:” an apostrophe to the Church of the ancient
people.]
276 Ps. xxiv.
Chapter XXXVI.—He proves that Christ is called Lord of Hosts.
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Chapter XXXVI.—He proves that Christ is called Lord of Hosts.