Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho 49

Trypho replied, "What those people say seems more persuasive to me: that he was a man, chosen and anointed, and so became the Christ. You say something different. After all, we all expect the Christ to be born a man from men, and we expect Elijah to come and anoint him. If this man is shown to be the Christ, then everyone must know he was born a man from men in every respect. But since Elijah has not come, I cannot accept that this one is he."

I then asked him, "Does not the Scripture say through Zechariah that Elijah will come before the great and terrible day of the Lord?" (Zechariah). He answered, "Yes, it does."

"If, then, the word of God compels us to agree that two comings of Christ were prophesied — one in which he will appear suffering, inglorious, and unknown, and another in which he will come in glory as the judge of all, as has been demonstrated from many passages we have already discussed — must we not understand that the word of God proclaimed Elijah's coming as a precursor to that terrible and great day, that is, the second coming of Christ?" He answered, "Certainly."

"Our Lord, then," I said, "handed down this very teaching: that Elijah would come. And we know this will happen when our Lord Jesus Christ is about to come in glory from heaven. The Spirit of God that was in Elijah went ahead of him as a herald in John, a prophet who arose in your generation; after him, no other prophet appeared among you. John sat by the Jordan River and cried out: 'I baptize you with water for repentance, but one stronger than I is coming, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire'" (Matthew 3:11–12).

"Your king Herod threw this prophet into prison. When Herod's birthday was celebrated, the daughter of his sister danced in a way that pleased him, and he promised to give her whatever she asked. Her mother prompted her to ask for the head of John the Baptist, who was in prison. She asked, and Herod sent an executioner to bring John's head on a platter" (Matthew 14:3–11).

"Therefore, our Christ also said to those who claimed Elijah must come before the Christ: 'Elijah will come and restore all things; but I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they pleased.' And it is written that the disciples then understood he was speaking to them about John the Baptist" (Matthew 17:11–13).

Trypho said, "You seem to me to be saying something paradoxical: that the prophetic Spirit of God that was in Elijah also came to be in John."

I replied, "Does it not seem to you that the same thing happened with Joshua son of Nun, who succeeded Moses in leadership? When God said to Moses, 'Lay your hands on Joshua; shall I not transfer some of the Spirit that is on you to him?' (Numbers 27:18–20)." He answered, "Yes."

"Just as God transferred the Spirit from Moses to Joshua while Moses was still alive, so also God was able to bring the Spirit from Elijah to John. This was so that, just as Christ's first coming was inglorious, the first coming of the Spirit that had always been in Elijah might also be thought inglorious, like Christ's. For it is said, 'The Lord fights against Amalek with a hidden hand,' and you will not deny that Amalek fell (Exodus 17:14). But if Amalek is to be fought only in the glorious coming of Christ, what fruit does the word bear that says, 'The Lord fights against Amalek with a hidden hand'? Can you not see that the hidden power of God came to be in the crucified Christ, whom even the demons dread, and all the authorities and powers of the earth?"