gryan wrote: ↑Fri Dec 03, 2021 7:15 am
What does Justin mean by "those Gentiles who have been circumcised
from error
by Christ"?
I take this to mean stopped or 'excised'
from being
in error in their beliefs, "to observe the same things as himself [ie. the same things as Christ]"
."..those Gentiles who have been circumcised from error by Christ, to observe the same things as himself ..."
I think the key words are
error and
from error, which appears a few times in
Dialogue, both before and after chapter XLVII, as follows.
nb. I have used the anglicized Greek, Iesous, for both 'Joshua' and Jesus in the following ...
chapter III
."What greater work," said [Justin], "could one accomplish than this, to show the reason which governs all, and having laid hold of it, and being mounted upon it, to look down on the errors of others, and their pursuits? But without philosophy and right reason, prudence would not be present to any man. Wherefore it is necessary for every man to philosophize, and to esteem this the greatest and most honourable work .."
chapter VII
."... they ['the prophets'] both glorified the Creator, the God and Father of all things, and proclaimed His Son, the Christ [sent] by Him: which, indeed, the false prophets, who are filled with the lying unclean spirit, neither have done nor do, but venture to work certain wonderful deeds for the purpose of astonishing men, and glorify the spirits and demons of error. But pray that, above all things, the gates of light may be opened to you ..."
chapter XXXV
."The fact that there are such men confessing themselves to be Christians, and admitting the crucified Iesous to be both Lord and Christ, yet not teaching His doctrines, but those of the spirits of error, causes us who are disciples of the true and pure doctrine of Iesous Christ, to be more faithful and stedfast in the hope announced by Him .."
chapter XXXIX
."..daily some [of you] are becoming disciples in the name of Christ, and quitting the path of error; who are also receiving gifts, each as he is worthy, illumined through the name of this Christ ... it was prophesied that, after the ascent of Christ to heaven, He would deliver us from error and give us gifts...."
chapter XLVII (as already cited above in the OP)
."..those Gentiles who have been circumcised from error by Christ, to observe the same things as himself ..."
Chapter CXIII is highly significant. It starts with
." What I mean is this. Iesous (Joshua)...who was called Oshea when he was sent to spy out the land of Canaan was [re]named 'Iesous' by Moses. Why he did this you neither ask, nor are at a loss about it, nor make strict inquiries. Therefore Christ has escaped your notice; and though you read, you understand not; and even now, though you hear that [the Jewish] Iesous is [now] our Christ, you consider not that the name was bestowed on Him not purposelessly nor by chance. ..."
That's pretty assertive if not arrogant rhetoric (to hammer home a point).
Then
chapter CXIII middle
."But you make a theological discussion as to why one rho was added to Abraham's first name; and as to why one 'p' was added to Sarah's name, you use similar high-sounding disputations. But why do you not similarly investigate the reason why the name of Oshea the son of Nave (Nun), which his father gave him, was changed to Iesous? But since not only was his name altered, but he was also appointed successor to Moses, being the only one of his contemporaries who came out from Egypt, he led the surviving people into the Holy Land; and as he, not Moses, led the people into the Holy Land, and as he distributed it by lot to those who entered along with him, so also Iesous the Christ will turn again the dispersion of the people, and will distribute the good land to each one, though not in the same manner. For the former gave them a temporary inheritance, seeing he was neither Christ who is God, nor the Son of God; but the latter, after the holy resurrection, shall give us the eternal possession. The former, after he had been named Iesous, and after he had received strength from His Spirit, caused the sun to stand still."
Then
chapter CXIII, end
."For I have 'proved' that it was Iesous who appeared to and conversed with Moses and Abraham and all the other patriarchs without exception, ministering to the will of the Father; who also, I say, came to be born man by the Virgin Mary, and lives for ever. For the latter is He after whom and by whom the Father will renew both the heaven and the earth; this is He who shall shine an eternal light in Jerusalem; this is he who is the king of Salem after the order of Melchizedek, and the eternal Priest of the Most High.
<paragraphed by me : no omission>
The former is said to have circumcised the people a second time with knives of stone (which was a sign of this circumcision with which Iesous Christ Himself has circumcised us from the idols made of stone and of other materials), and to have collected together those who were circumcised from the uncircumcision, ie., from the error of the world, in every place by the knives of stone, to wit, the words of our Lord Iesous. For I have shown that Christ was proclaimed by the prophets in parables a Stone and a Rock. Accordingly the knives of stone we shall take to mean His words, by means of which so many who were in error have been circumcised from uncircumcision with the circumcision of the heart, with which God by Iesous commanded those from that time to be circumcised who derived their circumcision from Abraham, saying that Iesous would circumcise a second time "with knives of stone" [ie. His words] those who entered into that holy land."
See two posts down for that last part of chapter CXIII without the colour
Dialogue chapter CXIII reads like a blueprint for how Christianity could have come about through a re-visioned Iesous