Spiritual Gifts and Church Order
Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho 39
Just as God did not bring wrath upon the world at that time because of those seven thousand, so also He has not yet brought or is bringing judgment now, since He knows that day by day some are still being discipled into the name of His Christ and are abandoning the way of error. These also receive gifts, each as they are worthy, enlightened through the name of this Christ. For one receives a spirit of understanding, another of counsel, another of strength, another of healing, another of knowledge, another of teaching, another of fear of God.
In response to these things Trypho said to me, 'I want you to know that you are speaking foolishly.' And I said to him, 'Listen: I have not been mad, nor do I speak foolishly. But after Christ's ascension into heaven it was prophesied that He would take us captive from error and give us gifts. These are the words: He ascended to the height, He took captivity captive, He gave gifts to men. Therefore we who have received gifts from Christ who ascended to the height demonstrate from the prophetic words that you, who are wise in yourselves and consider yourselves knowledgeable, are foolish and honor God and His Christ only with your lips; but we honor Him in deeds and knowledge and heart until death, we who have been discipled from all the truth.'
Greek
Ὃν οὖν τρόπον διὰ τοὺς ἑπτακισχιλίους ἐκείνους τὴν ὀργὴν οὐκ ἐπέφερε τότε ὁ θεός, τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον καὶ νῦν οὐδέπω τὴν κρίσιν ἐπήνεγκεν ἢ ἐπάγει, γινώσκων ἔτι καθ᾿ ἡμέραν τινὰς μαθητευομένους εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Χριστοῦ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀπολείποντας τὴν ὁδὸν τῆς πλάνης, οἲ καὶ λαμβάνουσι δόματα ἕκαστος ὡς ἄξιοί εἰσι , φωτιζόμενοι διὰ τοῦ ὀνόματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ τούτου· ὁ μὲν γὰρ λαμβάνει συνέσεως πνεῦμα, ὁ δὲ βουλῆς, ὁ δὲ ἰσχύος, ὁ δὲ ἰάσεως, ὁ δὲ προγνώσεως, ὁ δὲ διδασκαλίας, ὁ δὲ φόβου θεοῦ . Καὶ ὁ Τρύφων πρὸς ταῦτα εἶπέ μοι· Ὅτι παραφρονεῖς ταῦτα λέγων, ἐπίστασθαί σε βούλομαι. Κἀγὼ πρὸς αὐτόν· Ἄκουσον, ὦ οὗτος, ἔλεγον, ὅτι οὐ μέμηνα οὐδὲ παραφρονῶ · ἀλλὰ μετὰ τὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀνέλευσιν προεφητεύθη αἰχμαλωτεῦσαι αὐτον ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τῆς πλάνης καὶ δοῦναι ἡμῖν δόματα. Εἰσὶ δὲ οἱ λόγοι οὗτοι· Ἀνέβη εἰς ὕψος, ᾐχμαλώτευσεν αἰχμαλωσίαν, ἔδωκε δόματα τοῖς ἀνθρώποις . Οἱ λαβόντες οὗν ῄμεῖς δόματα παρὰ τοῦ εἰς ὕψος ἀναβάντος Χριστοῦ ὑμᾶς, τοὺς σοφοὺς ἐν ἑαυτοῖς καὶ ἐνώπιον ἑαυτῶν ἐπιστήμονας , ἀπὸ τῶν προφητικῶν λόγων ἀποδείκνυμεν ἀνοήτους καὶ χείλεσι μόνον τιμῶντας τὸν θεὸν καὶ τὸν Χριστὸν αὐτοῦ · ἡμεῖς δὲ καὶ ἐν ἔργοις καὶ γνώσει καὶ καρδίᾳ μέχρι θανάτου, οἱ ἐκ πάσης τῆς ἀληθείας μεμαθητευμένοι τιμῶμεν.