Dialogue with Trypho 75
75 Chapter LXXV.—It is proved that Jesus was the name of God in the book of Exodus
“Moreover, in the book of Exodus we have also perceived that the name of God Himself which, He says, was not revealed to Abraham or to Jacob, was Jesus, and was declared mysteriously through Moses. Thus it is written: ‘And the Lord spake to Moses, Say to this people, Behold, I send My angel before thy face, to keep thee in the way, to bring thee into the land which I have prepared for thee. Give heed to Him, and obey Him; do not disobey Him. For He will not draw back from you; for My name is in Him.’ Now understand that He who led your fathers into the land is called by this name Jesus, and first called Auses (Oshea). For if you shall understand this, you shall likewise perceive that the name of Him who said to Moses, ‘for My name is in Him,’ was Jesus. For, indeed, He was also called Israel, and Jacob’s name was changed to this also. Now Isaiah shows that those prophets who are sent to publish tidings from God are called His angels and apostles. For Isaiah says in a certain place, ‘Send me.’ And that the prophet whose name was changed, Jesus [Joshua], was strong and great, is manifest to all. If, then, we know that God revealed Himself in so many forms to Abraham, and to Jacob, and to Moses, how are we at a loss, and do not believe that, according to the will of the Father of all things, it was possible for Him to be born man of the Virgin, especially after we have such Scriptures, from which it can be plainly perceived that He became so according to the will of the Father?
Ἐν δὲ τῷ βιβλίῳ τῆς Ἐξόδου, ὅτι αὐτοῦ τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ Ἰησοῦς ἦν, ὃ λέγει τῷ Ἀβραὰμ μὴ δεδηλῶσθαι μηδὲ τῷ Ἰακώβ, διὰ Μωσέως ἐν μυστηρίῳ ὁμοίως ἐξηγγέλθη, καὶ ἡμεῖς νενοήκαμεν. Οὕτως δὲ εἴρηται· Καὶ εἶπε κύριος τῷ Μωσεῖ· Εἰπὲ τῷ λαῷ τούτῳ· Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ [fol. 9] ἀποστέλλω τὸν ἄγγελόν μου πρὸ προσώπου σου, ἴνα φυλάσσῃ σε ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ, ὅπως εἰσαγάγῃ σε εἰς τὴν γῆν ἢν ἡτοίμασά σοι. Πρόσεχε αὐτῷ καὶ εἰσάκουε αὐτοῦ, μὴ ἀπείθει αὐτῷ. Οὐ γὰρ μὴ ὑποστείληταί σε· τὸ γὰρ ὄνομά μου ἐστὶν ἐπ᾿ αὐτῷ [Exod., XX, 2; XXIII, 0-21].
Τίς οὖν εἰς τὴν γῆν εἰσήγαγε τοὺς πατέρας ὑμῶν; Ἤδη ποτὲ νοήσατε ὅτι ὁ ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τούτῳ ἐπονομασθεὶς Ἰησοῦς, πρότερον Αὐσῆς καλούμενος. Εἰ γὰρ τοῦτο νοήσετε, καὶ ὅτι τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ τοῦ εἰπόντος τῷ Μωσεῖ· τὸ γὰρ ὄνομά μου ἐστὶν ἐπ᾿ αὐτῷ [Exod., XXIII, 1 et cf. Nombr., XIII, 7], Ἰησοῦς ἦν, ἐπιγνώσεσθε. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ Ἰσραὴλ αὐτὸς ἦν καλούμενος, καὶ τὸν Ἰακὼβ τούτῳ τῷ ὀνόματι ὁμοίως μετωνομάκει [cf. Gen., XXXII, 5].
Ὅτι δὲ καὶ ἄγγελοι καὶ ἀπόστολοι τοῦ θεοῦ λέγονται οἱ ἀγγέλλειν τὰ παρ᾿ αὐτοῦ ἀποστελλόμενοι προφῆται, ἐν τῷ Ἡσαΐα δεδήλωται. Λέγει γὰρ ἐκεῖ ὁ Ἡσαΐας· Ἀπόστειλόν με [Is., VI, 8]. Καὶ ὅτι προφήτης ἰσχυρὸς καὶ μέγας γέγονεν ὁ ἐπονομασθεὶς τῷ Ἰησοῦ ὀνόματι, φανερὸνπᾶσίν ἐστιν.
Εἰ οὖν ἐν τοσαύταις μορφαῖς οἴδαμεν πεφανερῶσθαι τὸν θεὸν ἐκείνον τῷ Ἀβραὰμ καὶ τῷ Ἰακὼβ καὶ τῷ Μωσεῖ, πῶς ἀποροῦμεν καὶ ἀπιστοῦμεν κατὰ τὴν τοῦ πατρὸς τῶν ὅλων βουλὴν καὶ ἄνθρωπον αὐτὸν διὰ παρθένου γεννηθῆναι μὴ δεδυνῆσθαι, καὶ ταῦτα ἔχοντες [fol. 9] γραφὰς τοσαύτας. ἐξ ὤν συννοῆσαι ἔστι διαρρήδην ὅτι κατὰ τὴν τοῦ πατρὸς βουλὴν καὶ τοῦτο γέγονεν.