Dialogue with Trypho 85.3

Summary: Exorcism in other names fails, except perhaps in the name of the God of Abraham.

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Greek text · Archambault 2:56

Ἐὰν δὲ κατὰ παντὸς ὀνόματος τῶν παρʼ ὑμῖν γεγενημένων ἢ βασιλέων ἢ δικαίων ἢ προφητῶν ἢ πατριαρχῶν ἐξορκίζητε ὑμεῖς, οὐχ ὑποταγήσεται οὐδὲν τῶν δαιμονίων· ἀλλʼ εἰ ἄρα ἐξορκίζοι τις ὑμῶν κατὰ τοῦ θεοῦ Ἀβραὰμ καὶ θεοῦ Ἰσαὰκ καὶ θεοῦ Ἰακώβ, ἴσως ὑποταγήσεται. Ἤδη μέντοι οἱ ἐξ ὑμῶν ἐπορκισταὶ τῇ τέχνῃ, ὥσπερ καὶ τὰ ἔθνη, χρώμενοι ἐξορκίζουσι καὶ θυμιάμασι καὶ καταδέσμοις χρῶνται, εἶπον.

English · Claude translation

“But if you exorcise by any name of those who have been among you, kings or righteous men or prophets or patriarchs, not one of the demons will be subject to you; but perhaps, if one of you exorcised by the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob, it would be subject. But I have already said that your exorcists use their art like the nations, and employ fumigations and binding spells.”

About this passage

Source
Archambault 2:56 · 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
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.
Scripture

Notes

Notes on the original text

  • Digital text corrected (digitization slip against Archambault's printed text (wrong accent)): Ἢδη μέντοι → Ἤδη μέντοι.

Cite this passage

Justin, Dial. 85.3 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/justin-dialogue/85/3/).

Plain text
Justin, Dial. 85.3 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/justin-dialogue/85/3/).

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