179 Gen. xix. 27, 28; "and so on" inserted probably not by Justin, buy by some copyist, as is evident from succeeding words.
180 Some, "besides;" but probably as above.
181 Or, "going away, departed."
184 Or, "Messenger." [The "Jehovah-angel" of the Pentateuch, passim.] In the various passages in which Justin assigns the reason for Christ being called angel or messenger, Justin uses also the verb aggeloj, to convey messages, to announce. The similarity between aggeloj and aggellw cannot be retained in English, and therefore the point of Justin's remarks is lost to the English reader.
187 Or, "We must of necessity think, that besides the one of the two angels who came down to Sodom, and whom the Scripture by Moses calls Lord, God Himself appeared to Abraham."
188 This passage is rather confused: the translation is necessarily free, but, it is believed, correct. Justin's friend wishes to make out that two distinct individuals are called Lord or God in the narrative.
191 [Note again the fidelity of Justin to this principle, and the fact that in no other way could a Jew be persuaded to listen to a Christian. Acts xvii. 11.]
194 Literally, "is multiplied."
199 Literally, "I have admired thy face."
202 Literally, "for this sake." [Note here and elsewhere the primitive rule as to the duty of all men to search the Scriptures.]
204 Literally, "in the place of God."
207 Literally, "the face of God."
211 So, LXX. and N.T.; Heb. "Haran."
213 Gen. xxviii. 10-19. [Oulamlouz. Sept. Luz Eng.]
214 Some conjecture "Jacob," others insert "Jacob" after "Isaac." [Gen. xxii. The Jehovah-angel was seen no doubt by Isaac, as well as by his father.]
220 Or, "in the beginning, before all creatures." [Justin's reference to Joshua (i. 13-15) deserves special consideration; for he supposes that the true Joshua (Jesus) was the substance, and the true "captain of salvation," of whom this one was but a shadow (Heb. iv. 8, margin), type, and pledge. See cap. lxii.]
221 The act of will or volition is on the part of the Father.
223 The word logoj, translated "word," means both the thinking power or reason which produces ideas and the expression of these ideas. And Justin passes here from the one meaning to the other. When we utter a thought, the utterance of it does not diminish the power of thought in us, though in one sense the thought has gone away from us.
224 The mss. of Justin read "sleeping," but this is regarded as the mistake of some careless transcriber.
226 Justin, since he is of opinion that the Word is the beginning of the universe, thinks that by these words, "in the beginning," Moses indicated the Word, like many other writers. Hence also he says in Ap. i. 23, that Moses declares the Word "to be begotten first by God." If this explanation does not satisfy, read, "with regard to Him whom I have pointed out" (Maranus).
230 Or, "among us." Maranus pronounces against this latter reading for the following reasons: (1.) The Jews had their own heresies which supplied many things to the Christian heresies, especially to Menander and Saturninus. (2.) The sect which Justin here refutes was of opinion that God spoke to angels. But those angels, as Menander and Saturninus invented, "exhorted themselves, saying, Let us make," etc. (3.) The expression didaskaloi suits the rabbins well. So Justin frequently calls them. (4.) Those teachers seem for no other cause to have put the words in the angels' mouths than to eradicate the testimony by which they proved divine persons.
231 Josh. v. 13 ad fin., and vi. 1, 2.