The Lost Gospel and Its Contents Part 7

"For Christ is King, and Priest, and G.o.d, and Lord, and Angel, and Man, and Captain, and Stone, and a Son born, and first made subject to suffering, then returning to heaven, and again coming with glory." (Dial. x.x.xiv.)

Again:--

"Now you will permit me first to recount the prophecies, which I wish to do in order to prove that Christ is called both G.o.d, and Lord of Hosts, and Jacob in parable, by the Holy Spirit." (Dial. ch.

x.x.xvi.)

Again, Justin makes Trypho to say:--

"When you [Justin] say that this Christ existed as G.o.d before the ages, then that He submitted to be born, and become man, yet that He is not man of man, this [a.s.sertion] appears to me to be not merely paradoxical, but also foolish. And I replied to this, I know that the statement does appear to be paradoxical, especially to those of your race, who are ever unwilling to understand or to perform the [requirements] of G.o.d." (Dial. ch. xlviii.)

Again, Justin makes Trypho demand:--

"Answer me then, first, how you can show that there is another G.o.d besides the Maker of all things; [70:1] and then you will show [further], that He submitted to be born of the Virgin.

"I replied, Give me permission first of all to quote certain pa.s.sages from the Prophecy of Isaiah which refer to the office of forerunner discharged by John the Baptist." (Dial. I.)

Lastly:--

"Now, a.s.suredly, Trypho, I shall show that, in the vision of Moses, this same One alone, Who is called an Angel, and Who is G.o.d, appeared to and communed with Moses.... Even so here, the Scriptures, in announcing that the angel of the Lord appeared unto Moses, and in afterwards declaring Him to be Lord and G.o.d, speaks of the same One, Whom it declares by the many testimonies already quoted to be minister to G.o.d, Who is above the world, above Whom there is no other." (Dial. ch. lx.)

In order not to weary the reader, I give the remainder in a note. [71:1]

The reader will observe that the a.s.sertions of Justin, which I have given, are the strongest that could be made by any one who holds the G.o.dhead of Christ, and yet holds that that G.o.dhead is not an independent Divine Existence, but derived from the Father Who begat Him, and, by begetting, fully communicated to His Son or Offspring His own G.o.dhead.

From these extracts the reader will be able to judge for himself whether the doctrine of St. John is the expansion or development of that of Justin, or the doctrine of Justin the development of that of St. John.

He will also be able to judge of the absurdity of supposing that after the time of Justin the cause of Orthodoxy demanded the forgery of a Gospel, in order to set forth more fully the Divine Glory of the Redeemer.

SECTION XII.

THE PRINc.i.p.aL WITNESS ON THE DOCTRINE OF THE LOGOS.

We have now to compare Justin's doctrine of the Logos with that of the Fourth Gospel.

The doctrine or dogma of the Logos is declared in the Fourth Gospel in a short paragraph of fourteen verses, a part of which is occupied with the mission of the Baptist.

The doctrine, as I have said before, is rather oracular enunciation than doctrine; _i.e._ it is not doctrine elaborately drawn out and explained and guarded, but simply laid down as by the authority of Almighty G.o.d.

It is contained in four or five direct statements:--

"In the beginning was the Logos."

In the beginning--that is, before all created things--when there was no finite existence by which time could be measured; in that fathomless abyss of duration when there was G.o.d only:--

"The Logos was with G.o.d."

Though numerically distinct from Him, [73:1] He was so "by" or "with"

Him as to be His fellow:--

"The Logos was G.o.d."

That is, though numerically distinct, He partook of the same Divine Nature:

"All Things were made by Him."

Because, partaking fully of the nature, He partook fully of the power of G.o.d, and so of His creating power.

"That was the true light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world."

"The Logos was made flesh."

He was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was made man.

The first enunciation, then, of St. John is that--

"IN THE BEGINNING WAS THE WORD."

In Justin we read:--

"His Son, Who alone is properly called Son, the Word, Who also was with Him, and was begotten before the works." (Apol. ii. ch. vi.)

Again:--

"When you [Justin] say that this Christ existed as G.o.d before the ages." (Dial. ch. xlviii.)

Again:--

"G.o.d begat before all creatures a Beginning, [74:1] [who was] a certain rational Power from Himself, Who is called by the Holy Spirit, now the Glory of the Lord, now the Son, again Wisdom, again an Angel, then G.o.d, and then Lord and Logos." (Dial. ch. lxi.)

Now it is to be here remarked, that though the Logos is continually declared to be "begotten of," "derived from," "an offspring of" the Father, yet in no case is He declared to be "created" or "made,"

antic.i.p.ating the declaration which we confess in our Creed, "The Son is of the Father alone, not made, nor created, but begotten."

St. John proceeds:--

"THE WORD WAS WITH G.o.d."

In Justin we read:--

"This Offspring, which was truly brought forth from the Father, was with the Father before all the creatures, and the Father communed with Him." (Dial. ch. lxii.)

Again, a little before, in the same chapter:--

"From which we can indisputably learn that G.o.d conversed with some One who was numerically distinct from Himself."