In this article I will respond to Deenresponds concerning the Early Father Justin Martyr not being a Trinitarian. Yet again like all other Muslim “apologists” we will witness the repackaging old arguments that have been long refuted.
2 Corinthians 4:4 and Psalm 82
whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.
(2 Corinthians 4:4 NKJV)
God stands in the congregation of the mighty;
He judges among the gods.(Psalm 82:1 NKJV)
Deenresponds responds with the critique that the word “God” in the context of the Bible and the Early Fathers does not always mean Eternal uncreated Divine Essence. This is true. However, when Jesus is attributed the status of God, the claim of Creator and Sustainer undergirds this as well. None of the gods as described above are given the attributes of Creator and Sustainer. Rather the opposite, the “gods” as discussed in the passages that Deen raises are created beings, whereas Jesus is distinct from all other “gods” and creation.
And EVERY creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying:
“Blessing and honor and glory and power
Be to Him who sits on the throne,
And to the Lamb, forever and ever!”Revelation 5:13 (NKJV)
But to the Son He says:
“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever;
A [f]scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.
You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness;
Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You
With the oil of gladness more than Your companions.”And:
“You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth,
And the heavens are the work of Your hands.
They will perish, but You remain;
And they will all grow old like a garment;
Like a cloak You will fold them up,
And they will be changed.
But You are the same,
And Your years will not fail.”Hebrews 1:8-12 (NKJV)
For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. (Colossians 1:16-17 NKJV)
All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. (John 1:3 NKJV)
Justin Martyr denies the Deity of Christ in Chapter 63 of First Apology.
Deenresponse makes the claim that within Justin Martyr’s First Apology, especially in Chapter 63 that it is ambiguous if Justin truly believes that Jesus is the Eternal Sustainer. What is hilarious is that this whole passage in Justin’s Apology is dedicating to identifying the Angel of the Lord. Justin says that Jesus is the Angel of the Lord.
But so much is written for the sake of proving that Jesus the Christ is the Son of God and His Apostle, being of old the Word, and appearing sometimes in the form of fire, and sometimes in the likeness of angels; but now, by the will of God, having become man for the human race.
First Apology, Justin Martyr (Chapter 63)
The Father of the universe has a Son; who also, being the first-begotten Word of God, is even God. And of old He appeared in the shape of fire and in the likeness of an angel to Moses and to the other prophets; but now in the times of your reign, having, as we before said, become Man by a virgin, according to the counsel of the Father, for the salvation of those who believe in Him, He endured both to be set at nought and to suffer, that by dying and rising again He might conquer death.
Ibid
Why is this so important? The reason being is that the Angel of the Lord is given attributes that are given to God alone, thus making Him a Person that possesses attributes only given to God alone! This also refuted Tawhid, since Tawhid teaches that God can only subsist in one person. However, the Old Testament affirms the idea of a multiplicity of persons that do not necessitate individual essence whilst retaining the Oneness of God. I will back up this claim with Scripture.
The Angel of the Lord removes sins.
Then He answered and spoke to those who stood before Him, saying, “Take away the filthy garments from him.” And to him He said, “See, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich robes.” (Zechariah 3:4 KNJV)
The Angel of the Lord appears in fire and claims to be the Jehovah God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob
And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.” So when the Lord (Yehovah) saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.” Moreover He said, “I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God. (Exodus 3:2-5 NKJV)
OUCH! Deenresponse just proved that he does not read source materials and that Jesus is Jehovah God Almighty!
Justin Martyr denies the Deity of Christ in Chapter 16 of First Apology.
Deenresponse proceeds to quote First Apology chapter 6 in order to prove that Justin Martyr is a polytheist from the following quote.
Hence are we called atheists. And we confess that we are atheists, so far as gods of this sort are concerned, but not with respect to the most true God, the Father of righteousness and temperance and the other virtues, who is free from all impurity. But both Him, and the Son (who came forth from Him and taught us these things, and the host of the other good angels who follow and are made like to Him), and the prophetic Spirit, we worship and adore, knowing them in reason and truth, and declaring without grudging to every one who wishes to learn, as we have been taught.
Deenresponse butchers this passage, and believes that those venerated (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) include the host of good angels. Thus making Justin a polytheist. However taking Justins work into totality, one can not come to this interpretation. As we have shown above, Justin identifies Jesus as Jehovah God and is consistent with His Trinitarian Theology. A prominent Protestant Scholar Charles Hill sums up this dilemma concerning this passage.
One way of construing this rather confusing sentence is as a claim that Christians worship angels, along with the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. This is how Ehrman takes it. But this reading is suspect. Not only would it go against all prior (and subsequent) prohibitions against worshiping angels, such as Col 2:18 or Rev 19:10; 22:8-9, but Justin himself clearly says God created the “race of angels” in the beginning along with the face of men (1 Apology 7.5). Unlike the Logos, angels were not begotten but created. Moreover, in chapter 13 Justin offers a sharper and more concise statement that Christians “reasonably worship Him, having learned that He is the Son of the true God Himself, and holding in the second place, and the prophetic Spirit in the third.” Then in chapter 16 he speaks of baptism “in the name of God, the Father and Lord of the universe, and of our Saviour Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Spirit.” In neither of these passages are angels mentioned. Thus, many have thought that the angels in chapter 6 are meant to go alongside “us” as those whom the Son has taught: “the Son (who came forth from Him and taught us and the angels… these things).” The particular Greek construction in 1 Apology 6 would supports [sic] such as a reading, as it shows Justin linking together the Father, the Son, and the Spirit by the use of a conjunction (te), which is not used for the company of angels.
(Charles E. Hill, “Paradox Pushers and Persecutors?”, How God Became Jesus: The Real Origins of Belief in Jesus’ Divine Nature [Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI 2014], pp. 187-188)
Concerning the context of Justin’s work in toto, one can not conclude that Justin is advocating to worship angels. The most that we can grant the Muslims is that Justin contradicted himself. Taking this critique would still vindicate the idea that Justin taught the Trinity taking into consideration Chapter 63.
Chapter 56 of Dialogue with Trypho shows Jesus as a lesser Deity.
Deenresponds proceeds to quote more Justin Martyr to show that somehow Justin is not a Trinitarian using this exerpt.
I shall attempt to persuade you, since you have understood the Scriptures, [of the truth] of what I say, that there is, and that there is said to be, another God
Deenresponds assumes that when Justin says “another God”, this means that Justin is proporting two individual wills or essences. However, he again does not respect context because Justin defines what he means in Chapter 56.
Reverting to the Scriptures, I shall endeavour to persuade you, that He who is said to have appeared to Abraham, and to Jacob, and to Moses, and who is called God, is distinct from Him who made all things — numerically, I mean, not [distinct] in will. For I affirm that He has never at any time done anything which He who made the world— above whom there is no other God — has not wished Him both to do and to engage Himself with.
Ibid
Justin says verbatim that the distinction in term “another God” does not necessitate a multiplicity in will (essence). Or in other words Justin is teaching the Trinity. That the essence of God can subsist in a multiplicity of persons whilst affirming the Oneness of God.
On the topic of the Angel of the Lord (which is identified as Jesus by Justin), Justin thus affirms the full eternal uncreated nature of the Angel of the Lord which shows that there are at least two persons subsisting in the Divine Nature in the Old Testament and in Justin’s exegesis of the passage.
Now assuredly, Trypho, I shall show that, in the vision of Moses, this same One alone who is called an Angel, and who is God, appeared to and communed with Moses. For the Scripture says thus: ‘The Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the bush; and he sees that the bush burns with fire, but the bush was not consumed. And Moses said, I will turn aside and see this great sight, for the bush is not burnt. And when the Lord saw that he is turning aside to behold, the Lord called to him out of the bush.’ Exodus 3:2-4 In the same manner, therefore, in which the Scripture calls Him who appeared to Jacob in the dream an Angel, then [says] that the same Angel who appeared in the dream spoke to him, Genesis 35:7 saying, ‘I am the God that appeared to you when you fled from the face of Esau your brother;’ and [again] says that, in the judgment which befell Sodom in the days of Abraham, the Lord had inflicted the punishment of the Lord who [dwells] in the heavens;— even so here, the Scripture, in announcing that the Angel of the Lord appeared to Moses, and in afterwards declaring him to be Lord and God, speaks of the same One, whom it declares by the many testimonies already quoted to be minister to God, who is above the world, above whom there is no other [God].
Chapter 12 of First Apology denies Jesus’ Divinity.
Deenresponds proceeds to quotes First Apology again, claiming that the following quote teaches Jesus can not be God.
And that you will not succeed is declared by the Word, than whom, after God who begot Him, we know there is no ruler more kingly and just.
Deenresponds critique is that Jesus can not be God since only the Father is kingly and just. Yet again another pathetic critique similar to when Muslims use John 17:3. The assumption/implication of Deen is that there is only one person that can be attributed the essence of God. This is false, since as we have shown above from Justin and Scripture, God is a multipersonal being. So his assumption/implication falls short, and unless he can provide evidence from the Bible that God is Unipersonal, his critique is fallacious. This shows Deens ignorance of Scripture and lack of coherent critique.
Chapter 127 of Dialogue with Trypho denies Jesus’ Divinity.
Deenresponds quotes the proceeding excerpt in attempts to prove that Jesus is not God because the Father is described as not becoming incarnate.
You must not imagine that the unbegotten God Himself came down or went up from any place. For the ineffable Father and Lord of all neither has come to any place, nor walks, nor sleeps, nor rises up, but remains in His own place, wherever that is, quick to behold and quick to hear, having neither eyes nor ears, but being of indescribable might; and He sees all things, and knows all things, and none of us escapes His observation; and He is not moved or confined to a spot in the whole world, for He existed before the world was made. How, then, could He talk with any one, or be seen by any one, or appear on the smallest portion of the earth.
Deenresponds says that The Father could not become incarnate and the Son could, thus Jesus is a lesser deity. However, where in Scripture can you show me that the Father does not have the ability to become incarnate? That is not what Justin Martyr said, all he is saying in this quote is that the Father did not assume a human nature, which is true, Amen. What he DIDN’T say is that the Father can not become incarnate because He is a higher deity. The Father does not walk, sleep or eat because He did not assume a Human Nature. Muslims keep assuming that God subsists only in one Person without definitively grounding this presupposition. “In Jesus’ Divinity pre incarnation. He did not walk or displace”, yes he did Deen. He assumed the form of the Angel of the Lord.
Chapter 128 of Dialogue with Trypho denies Jesus’ Divinity.
Deenresponse quotes another excerpt, claiming that this quote shows that Jesus was made (created) to be the Son.
I have discussed briefly in what has gone before; when I asserted that this power was begotten from the Father, by His power and will
However, like usual Deen totally ignores the context which clarifies that there is no creation/division of a lesser divine essence. Rather using the analogy of a fire, such that the transmission of fire is distinct yet having the same origin.
And that this power which the prophetic word calls God, as has been also amply demonstrated, and Angel, is not numbered [as different] in name only like the light of the sun but is indeed something numerically distinct, I have discussed briefly in what has gone before; when I asserted that this power was begotten from the Father, by His power and will, but not by abscission, as if the essence of the Father were divided; as all other things partitioned and divided are not the same after as before they were divided: and, for the sake of example, I took the case of fires kindled from a fire, which we see to be distinct from it, and yet that from which many can be kindled is by no means made less, but remains the same.
This quotemine proves that Deen doesn’t actually read the context of these quotes, but rather parrots arguments from other Dawah preachers.
Conclusion
Deenresponse is a pathetic and shows the fruits of Islam, lack of reading context, and lack of understanding of the Trinity. Instead of deceiving people, research the topic and known objections before you share falsehood.
FURTHER READING
JUSTIN MARTYR’S CHRISTOLOGY REVISITED
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