Justin Martyr

Lore & Background

Justin was born c. 90–100 AD into a Greek family at Flavia Neapolis (today Nablus) near the ancient biblical city of Shechem, in Samaria. He knew little or no Hebrew and Aramaic, and had only a passing acquaintance with Judaism. He was uncircumcised, and defined himself as a Gentile. His grandfather, Bacchius, had a Greek name, while his father, Priscus, bore a Latin name. In the opening of the Dialogue, Justin describes his early education, stating that his initial studies left him unsatisfied. He tried first the school of a Stoic philosopher, who was unable to explain God's being to him. He then attended a Peripatetic philosopher but was put off because the philosopher was too eager for his fee. Then he went to hear a Pythagorean philosopher who demanded that he first learn music, astronomy, and geometry, which he did not wish to do. Subsequently, he adopted Platonism after encountering a Platonist thinker who had recently settled in his city. Some time afterwards, he chanced upon an old man, possibly a Syrian Christian, in the vicinity of the seashore, who engaged him in a dialogue about God and spoke of the testimony of the prophets as being more reliable than the reasoning of philosophers. Moved by the aged man's argument, Justin renounced both his former religious faith and his philosophical background, choosing instead to rededicate his life to the service of the Divine. His newfound convictions were bolstered by the ascetic lives of the early Christians and the heroic example of the martyrs. As a result, he decided to travel throughout the land, spreading the knowledge of Christianity as the 'true philosophy.' His conversion is commonly assumed to have taken place at Ephesus though it may have occurred anywhere on the road from Syria Palestina to Rome. He then adopted the dress of a philosopher himself and traveled about teaching. During the reign of Antoninus Pius (138–161), he arrived in Rome and started his own school. Tatian was one of his pupils. In the reign of Marcus Aurelius, after disputing with the cynic philosopher Crescens, he was denounced by the latter to the authorities, according to Tatian (Address to the Greeks 19) and Eusebius (HE IV 16.7–8). Justin was tried, together with six friends (two of them, Euelpistus and Hierax, slaves educated by him), by the urban prefect Junius Rusticus, and was beheaded. Though the precise year of his death is uncertain, it can reasonably be dated by the prefectural term of Rusticus (who governed from 162 to 168). The Christian 'Martyrdom of Justin' reports a record of the trial. The Prefect Rusticus says: 'Approach and sacrifice, all of you, to the gods.' Justin says: 'No one in his right mind gives up piety for impiety.' The Prefect Rusticus says: 'If you do not obey, you will be tortured without mercy.' Justin replies: 'That is our desire, to be tortured for Our Lord, Jesus Christ, and so to be saved, for that will give us salvation and firm confidence at the more terrible universal tribunal of Our Lord and Saviour.' And all the martyrs said: 'Do as you wish; for we are Christians, and we do not sacrifice to idols.' The Prefect Rusticus read the sentence: 'Those who do not wish to sacrifice to the gods and to obey the emperor will be scourged and beheaded according to the laws.' The holy martyrs glorifying God betook themselves to the customary place, where they were beheaded and consummated their martyrdom confessing their Saviour.

Reader's Guide

Justin Martyr is significant as one of the earliest Christian apologists to engage systematically with Greek philosophy. His First Apology, addressed to Emperor Antoninus Pius, his sons, and the Roman Senate, is a key early defense of Christian morality and a plea to end persecution. The Dialogue with Trypho, a later work composed between 147 and 161, undertakes to show that Christianity is the new law for all men. Its central contention is that the Hebrew scriptures are the property of the Christians, because they alone grasp their true meaning – a comprehension that Jews, in Justin's view, lack entirely. Justin also wrote a Second Apology addressed to the Roman Senate, and other works including a treatise On the Sovereignty of God, a work entitled The Psalmist, a treatise in scholastic form On the Soul, and an apology 'Against Marcion' known from Irenaeus. His writings, preserved in a single 14th-century codex (Parisinus graecus 450) completed on 11 September 1364 somewhere in the Byzantine Empire, influenced later Church Fathers such as Irenaeus (who quotes Justin twice and shows his influence in other places), Tertullian (who calls Justin a philosopher and a martyr and the earliest antagonist of heretics), Hippolytus, Methodius of Olympus, and Eusebius of Caesarea. The editio princeps was published by Robert Estienne in 1551. Justin's legacy endures as a bridge between classical philosophy and Christian theology, and he is venerated as a saint in multiple traditions.

Did You Know?

• Justin was uncircumcised and defined himself as a Gentile, with little knowledge of Hebrew or Aramaic.
• His grandfather Bacchius had a Greek name, while his father Priscus bore a Latin name.
• Justin tried Stoic, Peripatetic, and Pythagorean schools before adopting Platonism, and was finally converted by an old man (possibly a Syrian Christian) he met near the seashore.
• He was tried and beheaded along with six friends, including two slaves named Euelpistus and Hierax, by the urban prefect Junius Rusticus.
• All of Justin's authentic works survive in a single 14th-century codex, Parisinus graecus 450, completed on 11 September 1364.