In fact,
though there are some slight resemblances, the terminology of Philo is,
to use the words of "Supernatural Religion," "totally different from"
and "opposed to" that of Justin, and the more closely it is examined,
the more clearly it will be seen that Justin cannot have derived his
Logos doctrine from Philo.
The other question is, "from whom did Justin derive his identification
of the Logos with Jesus?"
Not from Philo, certainly. We have shown above how St. John lays down
with authority the identity of the Logos with the pre-existent Divine
Nature of Jesus, not in long, elaborate, carefully reasoned
philosophical dissertation, but in four short, clear, decisive
enunciations. "In the beginning was the Word"--"The Word was with
God"--"The Word was God"--"The Word was made flesh."
We have seen how these were the manifest germs of Justin's teaching.
Now, if at the time when Justin wrote the Fourth Gospel, as we shall
shortly prove, must have been in use in the Church in every part of the
world, why should Justin be supposed to derive from Philo a truth which
he, being a Jew, would repudiate? Justin himself most certainly was not
the first to identify the Logos with Jesus.
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