And Trypho said: For you are attempting to demonstrate something incredible and almost impossible—that God submitted to be born and to become man. If, I said, I had undertaken to prove this by human teachings or arguments, you would not need to bear with me; but since I cite so many Scriptures spoken precisely to this end, repeating them again and again, and ask you to recognize them, you remain hardhearted toward understanding the mind and will of God. But if you wish to remain such forever, I for my part would suffer no harm; and keeping always the same things which I held even before I conversed with you, I will take my leave of you.
And Trypho said: See, my friend, that it has cost you much labor and toil to acquire these things; and so we too, having scrutinized everything that comes up, must agree to what the Scriptures compel us. And I replied to this: I do not ask you not to contend in every way in examining the matters under inquiry, but only that you not again contradict those things to which you said you agreed, when you have nothing to say.
And Trypho said: This we will try to do. Again I said: Besides what has already been asked, I now wish to question you once more; for through these questions I will strive to bring the discussion swiftly to its conclusion. And Trypho said: Ask away. And I said: Do you understand from the Scriptures that there is any other called worthy of worship, and Lord, and God, besides the Maker of all things and the Christ, who through so many Scriptures has been shown to you to have become man?
And Trypho said: How can we agree to this, when, as to whether there is any other besides the Father alone, we have already made so great an inquiry? And again I said: It is necessary to ask you these things too, so that I may know whether you hold any view other than what you have so far acknowledged. And he said: No, sir. And I said again: Since, then, you truly agree to these things, and the Scripture says, ‘Who shall declare his generation?’—ought you not already to understand that he is not of the seed of the human race?
And Trypho said: How then does the Scripture say to David that from his loins God will take to Himself a son, and will establish his kingdom for him, and will seat him upon the throne of his glory?
And I said: O Trypho, if the prophecy which Isaiah uttered were not spoken to the house of David—‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive’—but to some other house among the twelve tribes, then perhaps the matter would present a difficulty. But since this very prophecy was spoken to the house of David, what was said to David by God in a mystery, through Isaiah, was set forth as that which was to come to pass—unless indeed you do not know this, my friends, I said: that many sayings, spoken obscurely and in parables or mysteries or in symbolic actions, were interpreted by the prophets who arose after those who spoke or did them.
And Trypho said: Quite so. So if I prove that this prophecy of Isaiah was spoken concerning this Christ of ours, and not concerning Hezekiah, as you say, shall I not in this also shame you into ceasing to trust your teachers, who dare to say that the interpretation which your seventy elders made while they were with Ptolemy the king of the Egyptians is not in certain respects true?
For whatever passages clearly appear in the Scriptures to refute their senseless and self-serving opinion, these they dare to say were not so written; but whatever they think they can draw in and apply to human actions, these they say were not spoken concerning this Jesus Christ of ours, but concerning the one whom they themselves attempt to expound. Of such a kind also is this very passage, about which our present discussion is, which they taught you, saying that it was spoken concerning Hezekiah—which, as I promised, I will prove that they are lying.
But as for whatever Scriptures we cite to them which plainly demonstrate that the Christ is both subject to suffering and worthy of worship and God—which I have also already recounted to you—these, being compelled, they concede were spoken concerning Christ, yet they dare to say that this man is not the Christ; though they confess that he will come, and suffer, and reign, and become a God worthy of worship—which I will likewise prove to be ridiculous and senseless. But since it presses upon me first to answer the things you said in a jesting manner, I will make my replies to these, and afterward give the proofs concerning the remaining matters.