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#72 The First Apology of Justin - Part 8
By Justin Martyr, from The Ante-Nicene Fathers
Chapter 34 - Christ's Birthplace Foretold
Hear what part of earth He was to be born in, as another prophet, Micah,
foretold: "And thou Bethlehem , in the land of Juda, art not the least among
the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule
my people Israel."
There is a village in the land of the Jews, thirty-five stadia from Jerusalem,
in which Jesus Christ was born. You can verify this from the tax records made
under Cyrenius, your first governor in Judea.
Chapter 35 - Other Fulfilled Prophecies
How Christ after His birth was to remain unnoticed by other people until He grew
to manhood, which also came to pass, hear what was foretold: "For unto us a
child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his
shoulder." This refers to the power of the cross, for when He was crucified, He
bore it on His shoulders. This will be explained more clearly later.
Again the prophet Isaiah, inspired by the prophetic Spirit, said: "I have
spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way
that was not good, after their own thoughts. They seek me daily, and delight to
know my ways, and ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in
approaching to God."
And again through another prophet, he says: "They pierced my hands and my feet.
They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture."
David, the king and prophet who said these things, did not experience any of
them himself. But Jesus Christ stretched out His hands when He was crucified by
the Jews who spoke against Him and denied that He was the Christ.
As the prophet said, they tormented Him and set Him on the judgment seat and
said, "Judge us." "They pierced my hands and my feet" referred to the nails of
the cross fixed in His hands and feet. After He was crucified, "they parted
His garments among them, casting lots upon His vesture."
That these things happened, you can verify from the Acts of Pontius Pilate.
We will also quote the prophetic words of another prophet, Zechariah, who
expressly foretold that He would sit on a donkey's colt and enter Jerusalem:
"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold,
thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding
upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass."
Chapter 36 - Different Types of Prophecy
When you hear the prophets' words spoken as if personally, do not think they are
spoken by the inspired men themselves, but by the divine Word who moves them.
Sometimes he speaks of things to come as one predicting the future; sometimes he
speaks as if from the person of God the Lord and Father of all; sometimes as
from the person of Christ; sometimes as from the person of the people answering
the Lord or His Father.
You can see the same pattern in your own writers: one person writes the whole
work but introduces different characters who speak. The Jews who had the
prophetic books did not understand this, so they did not recognize Christ when
He came. They even hate us who say He has come and prove that, as predicted, He
was crucified by them.
View all episodes
By Timeless FaithBy Justin Martyr, from The Ante-Nicene Fathers
Chapter 34 - Christ's Birthplace Foretold
Hear what part of earth He was to be born in, as another prophet, Micah,
foretold: "And thou Bethlehem , in the land of Juda, art not the least among
the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule
my people Israel."
There is a village in the land of the Jews, thirty-five stadia from Jerusalem,
in which Jesus Christ was born. You can verify this from the tax records made
under Cyrenius, your first governor in Judea.
Chapter 35 - Other Fulfilled Prophecies
How Christ after His birth was to remain unnoticed by other people until He grew
to manhood, which also came to pass, hear what was foretold: "For unto us a
child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his
shoulder." This refers to the power of the cross, for when He was crucified, He
bore it on His shoulders. This will be explained more clearly later.
Again the prophet Isaiah, inspired by the prophetic Spirit, said: "I have
spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way
that was not good, after their own thoughts. They seek me daily, and delight to
know my ways, and ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in
approaching to God."
And again through another prophet, he says: "They pierced my hands and my feet.
They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture."
David, the king and prophet who said these things, did not experience any of
them himself. But Jesus Christ stretched out His hands when He was crucified by
the Jews who spoke against Him and denied that He was the Christ.
As the prophet said, they tormented Him and set Him on the judgment seat and
said, "Judge us." "They pierced my hands and my feet" referred to the nails of
the cross fixed in His hands and feet. After He was crucified, "they parted
His garments among them, casting lots upon His vesture."
That these things happened, you can verify from the Acts of Pontius Pilate.
We will also quote the prophetic words of another prophet, Zechariah, who
expressly foretold that He would sit on a donkey's colt and enter Jerusalem:
"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold,
thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding
upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass."
Chapter 36 - Different Types of Prophecy
When you hear the prophets' words spoken as if personally, do not think they are
spoken by the inspired men themselves, but by the divine Word who moves them.
Sometimes he speaks of things to come as one predicting the future; sometimes he
speaks as if from the person of God the Lord and Father of all; sometimes as
from the person of Christ; sometimes as from the person of the people answering
the Lord or His Father.
You can see the same pattern in your own writers: one person writes the whole
work but introduces different characters who speak. The Jews who had the
prophetic books did not understand this, so they did not recognize Christ when
He came. They even hate us who say He has come and prove that, as predicted, He
was crucified by them.