Justin Can't Have Had a Gospel with Mark 1:2 In It

[Secret Alias]

Mark 1:2 Καθὼς γέγραπται ἐν τῷ Ἠσαΐᾳ* τῷ προφήτῃ Ἰδοὺ ἀποστέλλω τὸν ἄγγελόν μου πρὸ προσώπου σου, ὃς κατασκευάσει τὴν ὁδόν σου·

"Moreover, in the book of Exodus we have also perceived that the name of God Himself which, He says, was not revealed to Abraham or to Jacob, was Jesus, and was declared mysteriously through Moses. Thus it is written: 'And the Lord spake to Moses, Say to this people, Behold, I send My angel before thy face, to keep thee in the way, to bring thee into the land which I have prepared for thee. Give heed to Him, and obey Him; do not disobey Him. For He will not draw back from you; for My name is in Him.' (Ἐν δὲ τῷ βιβλίῳ τῆς Ἐξόδου, ὅτι αὐτοῦ τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ Ἰησοῦς ἦν, ὃ λέγει τῷ Ἀβραὰμ μὴ δεδηλῶσθαι μηδὲ τῷ Ἰακώβ, διὰ Μωυσέως ἐν μυστηρίῳ ὁμοίως ἐξηγγέλθη, καὶ ἡμεῖς νενοήκαμεν. οὕτως δὲ εἴρηται· Καὶ εἶπε κύριος τῷ Μωυσεῖ· Εἰπὲ τῷ λαῷ τούτῳ· ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἀποστέλλω τὸν ἄγγελόν μου πρὸ προσώπου σου, ἵνα φυλάσσῃ σε ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ, ὅπως εἰσαγάγῃ σε εἰς τὴν γῆν ἣν ἡτοίμασά σοι. πρόσεχε αὐτῷ καὶ εἰσάκουε αὐτοῦ, μὴ ἀπείθει αὐτῷ. οὐ γὰρ μὴ ὑποστείληταί σε· τὸ γὰρ ὄνομά μου ἐστὶν ἐπ' αὐτῷ). Now understand that He who led your fathers into the land is called by this name Jesus, and first called Auses(Oshea). For if you shall understand this, you shall likewise perceive that the name of Him who said to Moses, 'for My name is in Him,' was Jesus. For, indeed, He was also called Israel, and Jacob's name was changed to this also. Now Isaiah shows that those prophets who are sent to publish tidings from God are called His angels and apostles. For Isaiah says in a certain place, 'Send me.' And that the prophet whose name was changed, Jesus[Joshua], was strong and great, is manifest to all. If, then, we know that God revealed Himself in so many forms to Abraham, and to Jacob, and to Moses, how are we at a loss, and do not believe that, according to the will of the Father of all things, it was possible for Him to be born man of the Virgin, especially after we have such Scriptures, from which it can be plainly perceived that He became so according to the will of the Father? [Dialogue 75]

The fact that Justin elsewhere cites material that now only appears in Mark leaves one of two possibilities:

1. Justin used an edition of Mark very different from our own (i.e. one which did not begin with Mark 1:2)
2. Justin used a harmony

[Ben C. Smith]

Mark 1:2 Καθὼς γέγραπται ἐν τῷ Ἠσαΐᾳ* τῷ προφήτῃ Ἰδοὺ ἀποστέλλω τὸν ἄγγελόν μου πρὸ προσώπου σου, ὃς κατασκευάσει τὴν ὁδόν σου·

....

The fact that Justin elsewhere cites material that now only appears in Mark leaves one of two possibilities:

1. Justin used an edition of Mark very different from our own (i.e. one which did not begin with Mark 1:2)
2. Justin used a harmony

Arguments have been mounted before that Mark 1.1-2 is not the original opening to the gospel, and I am sympathetic to those arguments. The mistake of Isaiah for Exodus is only one part of the issue.

I also suspect that the "memoirs" known to Justin (A) resembled our canonical gospels but also (B) were not the same as our canonical gospels, which were still being adjusted.

[hakeem]

Justin most likely did not have gospels according to Mark and Luke since he claimed he had Memoirs of the Apostles.

Mark and Luke were not known as Apostles and are they are not mentioned at all in writings attributed to Justin.

Justin's First Apology

For the apostles, in the memoirs composed by them, which are called Gospels, have thus delivered unto us what was enjoined upon them..

Justin's First Apology

And on the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read..

Justin's Memoirs of the Apostles contain stories not found in all the Canonised Gospels.

For example, Justin claimed Jesus was born in a cave.

Dialogue with Trypho

But when the Child was born in Bethlehem, since Joseph could not find a lodging in that village, he took up his quarters in a certain cave near the village; and while they were there Mary brought forth the Christ and placed Him in a manger, and here the Magi who came from Arabia found ...

Origen in "Against Celsus" also corroborate the story in a gospel where Jesus was born in a cave.

With respect to the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, if any one desires, after the prophecy of Micah and after the history recorded in the Gospels by the disciples of Jesus, to have additional evidence from other sources, let him know that, in conformity with the narrative in the Gospel regarding His birth, there is shown at Bethlehem the cave where He was born....

It would appear that Justin's Memoirs was most likely a compilation of unknown sources--not Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

[neilgodfrey]

The fact that Justin elsewhere cites material that now only appears in Mark leaves one of two possibilities:

1. Justin used an edition of Mark very different from our own (i.e. one which did not begin with Mark 1:2)
2. Justin used a harmony

3. Or that Justin did not know of the gospel of Mark (or anything from ur-Mark to canonical) at all and was drawing on various tropes that the author of the gospel independently deployed.

Because of the way Justin discusses the story of the magi I think it very unlikely that he even knew of our Gospel of Matthew. Justin appears to be writing at a time when Jesus life stories were first beginning to be experimented with.

[Secret Alias]

Because of the way Justin discusses the story of the magi I think it very unlikely that he even knew of our Gospel of Matthew

I am fairly certain that Justin used a so-called 'harmony gospel' so yes. My point was merely that the strange misidentification of 'Isaiah' or 'the prophets' at the beginning of Mark doesn't seem to have been part of that harmony.