Section CXCVIII

Thus far we have surveyed almost the whole Christian world, and Palestine alone remains, whose faith and doctrine we must investigate, so that it may rightly appear that nothing has been passed over by us. But it will be worthwhile to know accurately what the churches of Palestine themselves also thought and what they handed down concerning the salvific will of God and the amplitude of reparation. For in this manner not only will the agreement of the whole Christian name shine forth more splendidly, but it will also be understood with what faith those were imbued whom the preaching of Christ and the Apostles instructed first of all and brought to the new and divine kingdom of the Church.

Now among the Palestinian witnesses Justin excels no less in antiquity than in dignity, ὁ μετ᾽ οὐ πολὺ τῶν ἀποστόλων, one who was not long after the Apostles, and ἀνὴρ οὔτε τῷ χρόνῳ πόρρω ὢν—

—τῶν ἀποστόλων, οὔτε τῇ ἀρετῇ, a man distant from the Apostles neither in time nor in virtue, as Eusebius¹ and Methodius² speak of him. In the most illustrious dialogue which he held with Trypho, he not only averts from God every cause of sins³, saying: “But if the Word of God foretells that certain angels and men will certainly be punished, it foretells these things because it foreknew that they would remain wicked without any change, ἀλλ᾽ οὐχ ὅτι αὐτοὺς ὁ Θεὸς τοιούτους ἐποίησεν, but not because God made them such”; but he also declares⁴ that divine goodness lies open to all and that divine mercy is at hand for all, adding: “Ὥστε ἐὰν μετανοήσωσι, πάντες βουλόμενοι τυχεῖν τοῦ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐλέους δύνανται, καὶ μακαρίους αὐτοὺς ὁ λόγος προλέγει εἰπών· μακάριος ᾧ οὐ μὴ λογίσηται Κύριος ἁμαρτίαν. Wherefore, if they repent, all who will may obtain mercy from God, and Scripture proclaims them blessed⁵ in these words: ‘Blessed is he to whom the Lord has not imputed sin.’”

Nor ought it to seem wonderful that the amplitude of divine merciful kindness is so great. For to this end the Only-begotten put on human flesh⁶: that he might restore Jews and Gentiles equally and adorn with the same dignity all who should obey his precepts. Whence Christ is rightly called Israel⁷, by which name is signified ἄνθρωπος νικῶν δύναμιν, a man conquering power. “Τὸ γὰρ Ἰσρά, ἄνθρωπός ἐστι νικῶν, τὸ δὲ Ἤλ, δύναμις. For Isra⁸ is a man conquering, but El is power.” For he conquered the devil, that is, that power which is called both serpent and Satan; and, when this victory had been won, he vindicated the human race into liberty. By this it came about⁹ that all, from whatever region, whether slaves or free men, who believed in Christ and acknowledged the truth of those things which were handed down both by him and by the prophets, should know that together with him they would receive as an inheritance eternal and incorruptible goods—

—That inheritance was proposed to all by the will of the testator, as may also be seen from the fact that he commanded prayers to be poured forth to God for absolutely all men. Concerning this command of the testator, these words are remarkable, which Justin writes when addressing the Jews¹⁰:

Truly your hand is still extended to do evil; for although you have killed Christ, not even thus do you repent, but you also hate us who through him have believed in God and the Father of all, and whenever opportunity is given, you kill us; and without ceasing you execrate him and those who have arisen from him; πάντων ἡμῶν εὐχομένων ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν, καὶ ὑπὲρ πάντων ἁπλῶς ἀνθρώπων, ὡς ὑπὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἡμῶν καὶ Κυρίου ποιεῖν ἐδιδάχθημεν, παραγγείλαντος ἡμῖν εὔχεσθαι καὶ ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐχθρῶν, καὶ ἀγαπᾶν τοὺς μισοῦντας, καὶ εὐλογεῖν τοὺς καταρωμένους, while we all pray for you and for absolutely all men, as we have been taught to do by our Christ and Lord, who commanded us to pray even for our enemies, to love those who hate us, and to bless those who curse us.