Sophia Scriptura

Dialogue with Trypho 49.8

Justin Martyr · Dialogue with Trypho · ca. 155–160 · Rome · Read in context

Summary: God's hidden hand fighting Amalek signifies the hidden power of the crucified Christ.

Greek text · Archambault 1:222–224

Κρυφίᾳ γὰρ χειρὶ ὁ κύριος πολεμεῖν τὸν Ἀμαλὴκ εἴρηται, καὶ ὅτι ἔπεσεν ὁ Ἀμαλὴκ οὐκ ἀρνήσεσθε. Εἰ δὲ ἐν τῇ ἐνδόξῳ παρουσίᾳ τοῦ Χριστοῦ πολεμηθήσεσθαι τὸν Ἀμαλὴκ μόνον λέγεται, ποῖος καρπὸς ἔσται τοῦ λόγου, ὅς φησι· Κρυφίᾳ χειρὶ ὁ θεὸς πολεμεῖ τὸν Ἀμαλὴκ; Νοῆσαι δύνασθε ὅτι κρυφία δύναμις τοῦ θεοῦ γέγονε τῷ σταυρωθέντι Χριστῷ, ὃν καὶ τὰ δαιμόνια φρίσσει καὶ πᾶσαι ἁπλῶς αἱ ἀρχαὶ καὶ ἐξουσίαι τῆς γῆς.

English · Claude translation

“For it is said that the Lord makes war on Amalek with a hidden hand; and you will not deny that Amalek fell. But if it is said that Amalek will be warred against only at the glorious coming of Christ, what will be the fruit of the word that says, ‘With a hidden hand God makes war on Amalek’? You can understand that a hidden power of God was in the crucified Christ, whom the demons tremble at, and in short all the principalities and powers of the earth.

About this passage

Source
Archambault 1:222–224 · Georges Archambault, ed., Justin: Dialogue avec Tryphon, 2 vols., Textes et documents pour l'étude historique du christianisme 8, 11 (Paris: Picard, 1909) · Greek text: G. Archambault, Justin: Dialogue avec Tryphon (Paris, 1909), digitized by the Perseus Digital Library and published by the First Thousand Years of Greek project (Open Greek and Latin), CC BY-SA 4.0
Text
As printed in Archambault. Manuscript variants and the editor's apparatus are not reproduced; no textual problem is noted in this passage.
Translation
Claude translation (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-26 · Translated by Claude from the Greek text of Archambault (1909); made independently of existing English translations.
Compare
Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1 (1885) (an older public-domain English translation, whole volume at CCEL; checked against ours only after ours was made)
Scripture
Topics
Christology

Notes

Translation notes

  • Exod 17:16 in the LXX: “with a hidden hand the Lord makes war on Amalek.”

Cite this passage

Justin, Dial. 49.8 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/justin-dialogue/49/8/).

Plain text
Justin, Dial. 49.8 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/justin-dialogue/49/8/).

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