Making Sense of Justin the Heretic

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Secret Alias
Posts: 18362
Joined: Sun Apr 19, 2015 8:47 am

Making Sense of Justin the Heretic

Post by Secret Alias »

I have always suspected that 'Justin' in the Refutations of All Heresies is Justin Martyr. But let's first try to figure out what his system is all about.

1. ברוך = 228 = עֵץ חַיִּים (tree of life = baruch) something explicitly referenced by the Refutation " ... and the tree of life is the third of the paternal angels--Baruch"

So that seems to work. But then I can't get anywhere with the next line - something which equates נחש which is 358 with the tree of knowledge of good and evil which is 932:
Elohim the father, seeing these things, sends forth Baruch, the third angel among his own, to succour the spirit that is in all men. Baruch then coming, stood in the midst of the angels of Edem, that is, in the midst of paradise — for paradise is the angels, in the midst of whom he stood — and issued to the man the following injunction: Of every tree that is in paradise you may freely eat, but you may not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which is Naas.
While I figure this out I thought I might mention this:
Γύναι, ἀπέχεις σου τὸν υἱόν, τουτέστι τόν ψυχικὸν ἄνθρωπον καὶ τὸν χοϊκόν, αὐτὸς δὲ εἰς χεῖρας παραθέμενος τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ πατρός,
ἀνῆλθε πρὸς τὸν ἀγαθόν.

It's already clear that Justin like Justin Martyr used a gospel harmony. Now we get evidence that Justin the gnostic did too:

Justin quoted in Hippolytus, Ref. 5.26.32. John 19:26 γύναι, ἀπέχεις σου τὸν υἱόν, τουτέστιν τὸν ψυχικὸν ἄνθρωπον καὶ τὸν χοϊκόν Woman, you receive the son, the psychic human and the earthly.

Justin quoted in Hippolytus, Ref. 5.26.32 Luke 23:46 αὐτὸς δὲ εἰς χεῖρας παραθέμενος τοῦ πατρὸς τὸ πνεῦμα, ἀνῆλθε πρὸς τὸν ἀγαθόν. (PTS 25)161. But he gave into the hands of the Father and went up to the Good
There are three texts here - John 19:26, Luke 23:46 and 1 Cor 15:46. The crucified one declares that his spirit is going up to the father but the soul and body remain with the female power Eden.
“Finally, from so little sleeping and so much reading, his brain dried up and he went completely out of his mind.”
― Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Don Quixote
Secret Alias
Posts: 18362
Joined: Sun Apr 19, 2015 8:47 am

Re: Making Sense of Justin the Heretic

Post by Secret Alias »

This is quite a useful way to read ancient texts - http://catholiclibrary.org/library/view ... &useLemma=
“Finally, from so little sleeping and so much reading, his brain dried up and he went completely out of his mind.”
― Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Don Quixote
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