Dialogue with Trypho 112.4
Summary: The teachers explain trivia and neglect the great mysteries.
Greek text · Archambault 2:174–176
Ἐὰν δὲ ὅσοι διδάσκαλοι ὑμῶν, διὰ τί κάμηλοι μὲν θήλειαι ἐν τῷδε τῷ τόπῳ οὐ λέγονται, ἢ τί εἰσιν αἱ λεγόμεναι κάμηλοι θήλειαι, ἢ διὰ τί σεμιδάλεως μέτρα τόσα καὶ ἐλαίου μέτρα τόσα ἐν ταῖς προσφοραῖς, μόνα ἐξηγοῦνται ὑμῖν, καὶ ταῦτα ταπεινῶς καὶ χαμερπῶς, τὰ δὲ μεγάλα καὶ ἄξια ζητήσεως μηδέποτε τολμῶσι λέγειν μηδὲ ἐξηγεῖσθαι, ἢ καὶ ἡμῶν ἐξηγουμένων παραγγέλλουσιν ὑμῖν μηδὲ ὅλως ἐπαίειν μηδὲ εἰς κοινωνίαν λόγων ἐλθεῖν, οὐχὶ δικαίως ἀκούσονται ἅπερ πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἔφη ὁ ἡμέτερος κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστός· Τάφοι κεκονιαμένοι, ἔξωθεν φαινόμενοι ὡραῖοι καὶ ἔσωθεν γέμοντες ὀστέων νεκρῶν, τὸ ἡδύοσμον ἀποδεκατοῦντες, τὴν δὲ κάμηλον καταπίνοντες, τυφλοὶ ὁδηγοί;
English · Claude translation
“But if your teachers explain to you only why female camels are not mentioned in this place, or what the so-called female camels are, or why so many measures of fine flour and so many measures of oil are in the offerings, and these things in a low and groveling way, while they never dare to speak of or explain the great things worth inquiring into, or even, when we explain them, command you not to listen at all nor to enter into discussion, will they not justly hear what our Lord Jesus Christ said to them: ‘Whitewashed tombs, outwardly appearing beautiful and inside full of dead men's bones; tithing mint, but swallowing the camel; blind guides’?
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Notes
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (digitization slip against Archambault's printed text (wrong accent)): παραγγέλλουσιν ὑμὶν → παραγγέλλουσιν ὑμῖν.
Cite this passage
Justin, Dial. 112.4 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/justin-dialogue/112/4/).
Plain text
Justin, Dial. 112.4 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/justin-dialogue/112/4/).
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