by the author of
"Supernatural Religion" it is impossible to say, as we know very little
of the Alexandrian Jewish literature except from him. He seems, however,
to write as if what he enunciated was commonly known and accepted by
those for whom he wrote.

There are two reasons which make me think that Justin, if he derived any
part of his Logos doctrines from Alexandrian sources (which I much
doubt), derived them from writings or traditions to which Philo, equally
with himself, was indebted.

One is that, in his Dialogue with Trypho, a Jew, he never mentions
Philo, whose name would have been a tower of strength to him in
disputing with a Jew, and convincing him that there might be another
Person Who might be rightly called God besides the Father.

Surely if Justin had known that Philo had spoken of God

"Appointing His true Logos, his first begotten Son, to have the care
of this sacred flock as the substitute of the great King" (quoted in
p. 274);

and that--

"The most ancient Word is the image of God" (p. 274);

and that

"The Word is the image of God by which the whole world was created"
(p. 275);

surely, I say, he would have used the name of one who had been in his
day such a champion of the Jewish people, and had suffered such insults
from Caligula on their account. [100:1]

Nothing seems more appropriate for the conversion of Trypho than many of
the extracts from Philo given by the author of "Supernatural Religion."
Herein, too, in this matter of Philo and Justin, the author of
"Supernatural Religion" betrays his surprising inconsistency and refutes
himself. He desires it to be inferred that Justin need not have
seen--probably had not seen, even one of our present Gospels, because he
does not name the authors, though there is abundant reason why the names
of four authors of the Memoirs should not be paraded before unbelievers
as suggesting differences in the testimony; whereas it would have been
the greatest assistance to him in his argument with Trypho to have named
Philo; and he does not. We would not infer from this, as the author of
"Supernatural Religion" does most absurdly in parallel cases, that
Justin "knew nothing" of Philo; had not even seen his books, and need
not have heard of him; but we must gather from it that Justin did not
associate the name of Philo with the Logos doctrine in its most advanced
stage of development. Many other facts tend to show that Justin m