And I remember on one occasion, at a disputation held with certain Jews
who were reputed learned men, having employed the following argument in
the presence of many judges: “Tell me, sirs,” I said, “since there are
two individuals who have visited the human race, regarding whom are
related marvellous works surpassing human power—Moses, viz., your own
legislator, who wrote about himself, and Jesus our teacher, who has left
no writings regarding Himself, but to whom testimony is borne by the
disciples in the Gospels—what are the grounds for deciding that Moses is
to be believed as speaking the truth, although the Egyptians slander him
as a sorcerer, and as appearing to have wrought his mighty works by
jugglery, while Jesus is not to be believed because you are His
accusers? And yet there are nations which bear testimony in favour of
both: the Jews to Moses; and the Christians, who do not deny the
prophetic mission of Moses, but proving from that very source the truth
of the statement regarding Jesus, accept as true the miraculous
circumstances related of Him by His disciples. Now, if ye ask us for the
reasons of our faith in Jesus, give yours first for believing in Moses,
who lived before Him, and then we shall give you ours for accepting the
latter. But if you draw back, and shirk a demonstration, then we,
following your own example, decline for the present to offer any
demonstration likewise. Nevertheless, admit that ye have no proof to
offer for Moses, and then listen to our defence of Jesus derived from
the law and the prophets. And now observe what is almost incredible! It
is shown from the declarations concerning Jesus, contained in the law
and the prophets, that both Moses and the prophets were truly prophets
of God.”