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Did Justin Identify His Group with the "True" Yashar'al?

Work: Dialogue with Trypho, Ch. 123, 135 · Greek

What the ancient record says

First remove a source error: many editions head Ch.123 "Christians are the true Israel", later editorial material, not the evidence; answer from Justin's Greek. Ch.123: Trypho asks directly whether Justin's people are Yashar'al; Justin applies prophetic Yashar'al language to his community.

Ch.135 Greek: Ἰσραηλιτικὸν … τὸ ἀληθινόν, πνευματικόν, Israelitic / true (genuine) / spiritual, with first-person plural ἡμεῖς ἐσμεν ("we are"). The exact English slogan oversimplifies, but the idea is not a modern invention: Justin's Greek combines Israelitic + true + spiritual + "we are." Stronger than a later summary, we can inspect the second-century argument; his community was largely drawn from the nations, yet he applies Yashar'al identity to it.

And Justin's Greek elsewhere contains Χριστιανοί (Ch.64: Χριστιανοὶ καλεῖσθαι, people came to be called Christianoi), "Christian" is not merely a later English label retrojected onto him.

Read it for yourself. Dialogue 123, 135; also 64 (Χριστιανοί).

Evidence strength: Directly supported by the Greek. Proven: Justin uses Christianoi; uses "true," "spiritual," "Israelitic" language for his community. Correction: later English headings are not his wording.

Question answered: Did Justin develop the idea that his community was the true spiritual Israelitic people? Yes, present in his own Greek.
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