“... He maintains that this prophecy was fulfilled when the magi visited the baby Jesus (Matt 2:1–12). Justin’s argument requires some freewheeling exegesis, since the gospel story mentions neither Damascus nor Samaria nor the king of As- syria. It does, however, feature King Herod, whom, Justin says, “scripture calls king of Assyria because of his wicked ungodliness.” The Bible nowhere does any such thing, which is probably why Justin provides no clue as to his source for this startling and gratuitous assertion. The best he can do is to remind us that “the Holy Spirit often speaks in parables and similitudes,”65 which might be Justin’s cryptic admission that the scriptures do not actually call Herod the king of Assyria. What about the baby conquering Damascus and despoiling Samaria? When did the baby Jesus do that? Justin’s explanation needs to be read in his own words. “He will take the power of Damascus and the spoils of Samaria” meant that the power of the wicked demon that dwelt in Da- mascus should be crushed by Christ at his birth. This is shown to have taken place. For the Magi, held in servitude (as spoils) for the commission of every wicked deed through the power of that demon, by coming and worshipping Christ, openly revolted against the power that had held them as spoils, which power the scripture indicated by parable to be located in Damascus. And in the parables that sinful and wicked power is fittingly called Samaria.66 ...”