12
You will surely blush, Theophilus, if you have acknowledged this saying, (namely, that Christ
was able to endure suffering so cursed and ridiculed), for it is written in Deuteronomy: Cursed is
everyone who hangs from a tree" (VI,22). "Therefore, is the church a harlot?" (VI,25).
26
Horbury's description of the "bite of these passages" injects a strong note of reality in the
discourse that moves Simon beyond the role of being a simple foil for Evagrius to present the Christian
side of the discussion.
The contents of the thirty chapters in ST are fairly simple and unadorned and may be outlined
thematically following the eight large chapter divisions of Harnack's text.
Prologue (1)
Monotheism (2-6)
Messiah's Deity (7-10)
Messiah's Sonship (11-14)
Messiah's Davidic Ancestry (15-17)
Circumcision (18-21)
Messiah's Suffering (22-27)
Sabbath and Dietary Laws (28)
Epilogue (29-30)
27
There are three characteristics of ST that set it apart from its "sister" dialogues, AZ and TA. First is
the regular appearance of extended catenae of OT quotations, with very little exposition of exactly how
the references are to be understood. This can be seen in the list of eleven quotations in chapter 11, in the
list of eighteen quotations in chapter 22, and in the list of twenty-six quotations in chapter 25! The
impression given from the dialogue is that Simon was simply overcome by the cumulative power of these
catenae. A modern reader, however, may be forgiven if he or she responds with less than enthusiasm at
what are ancient examples of a decidedly extreme "proof-texting" method. The second distinguishing
26
Horbury, 205.
27
Harnack, Die Altercatio, 15.