had begotten a son, and to be there declared, by the prophetic word, God? But that you may
clearly discern what I say, listen to the words expressly employed by Moses; they are these:
‘And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian bond-woman, whom she bore to Abraham,
sporting with Isaac her son, and said to Abraham, Cast out this bond-woman and her son;
for the son of this bond-woman shall not share the inheritance of my son Isaac. And the
matter seemed very grievous in Abraham’s sight, because of his son. But God said to Abra-
ham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the son, and because of the bond-woman.
In all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken to her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be
called.’366 Have you perceived, then, that He who said under the oak that He would return,
since He knew it would be necessary to advise Abraham to do what Sarah wished him, came
back as it is written; and is God, as the words declare, when they so speak: ‘God said to Ab-
raham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the son, and because of the bond-wo-
man?’ ” I inquired. And Trypho said, “Certainly; but you have not proved from this that
there is another God besides Him who appeared to Abraham, and who also appeared to the
other patriarchs and prophets. You have proved, however, that we were wrong in believing
that the three who were in the tent with Abraham were all angels.”
I replied again, “If I could not have proved to you from the Scriptures that one of those
three is God, and is called Angel,367 because, as I already said, He brings messages to those
to whom God the Maker of all things wishes [messages to be brought], then in regard to
Him who appeared to Abraham on earth in human form in like manner as the two angels
who came with Him, and who was God even before the creation of the world, it were reas-
onable for you to entertain the same belief as is entertained by the whole of your nation.”
“Assuredly,” he said, “for up to this moment this has been our belief.”
Then I replied, “Reverting to the Scriptures, I shall endeavour to persuade you, that He
who is said to have appeared to Abraham, and to Jacob, and to Moses, and who is called
God, is distinct from Him who made all things,—numerically, I mean, not [distinct] in will.
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For I affirm that He has never at any time done368 anything which He who made the
world—above whom there is no other God—has not wished Him both to do and to engage
Himself with.”
366 Gen. xxi. 9–12.
367 Or, “Messenger.” [The “Jehovah-angel” of the Pentateuch, passim.] In the various passages in which Justin
assigns the reason for Christ being called angel or messenger, Justin uses also the verb ἀγγέλλω, to convey
messages, to announce. The similarity between ἄγγελος and ἀγγέλλω cannot be retained in English, and
therefore the point of Justin’s remarks is lost to the English reader.
368 Some supply, “or said.”
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Chapter LVI.—God who appeared to Moses is distinguished from God the Fa…