Justin Martyr stands out as one of the most important apologist of the entire second century. The main reason for such a lofty statement has to do with how he incorporated certain philosophical and theological ideals to form some of his most influential beliefs about Christ being the cosmic Logos, or Christianity being the true philosophy. For our time together today, I want to address three things about Justin - his life, his works, and his theology.
The Life of Justin Martyr
Justin was born into a Greek family in Palestine sometime in the first half of the second century. Outside of this, not much is known about his pre-Christian days, other than the fact that he became a philosopher in the Platonic school, which he left after his conversion to Christianity.
Justin arrived in Rome around 150 A.D. and began teaching Christianity. It is clear from his writings that he considers himself a Christian philosopher, a.k.a. philosopher of Christ. In fact, tradition has it that even after Justin converted to Christianity, he still wore his philosophical tunic, which aroused some gossip and controversy about him. He also referred to Socrates as a "Christian before Christ."
No one really knows why, but for some reason, Justin was martyred in Rome by the authorities in 162 A.D. His writings reveal that he foresaw this fate. His open, bold, uncompromising statements and defense of Christianity could have very well contributed to his death. Regardless of the cause, we do know that Justine was a great encouragement to the Christians in the second century to stand firm in their faith.
The Works of Justin Martyr
As far as we know, some of Justin's works have been lost. However, we have three extant works that though brief, shed great light on the brilliance of Justin.
The first work we have is entitled The First Apology of Justin (Apology I), and was probably written around 155 A.D. on the occasion of Polycarp's martyrdom. This apology is a very bold address to Emperor Antonius Pius. In it, Justin admonishes the emperor to enact a more just treatment of the Christians. He told the emperor that the persecution against Christians because of their beliefs, without ever investigating their behavior, was evil. He argued that Christians are good, reasonable citizens, who though they practice civil disobedience now and then, are morally good, worshipers of God.
One of the unique facets of this work is Justin's' comparison between Plato and Moses. Seeing that Plato was Pius' favorite philosopher, Justin argued that Plato was indebted to Moses for some of his ideas, because Moses came first! At the end of the letter, Justin warns the emperor that he will not escape the judgment of God, and that he should repent and do that which is pleasing to God.
The second work we have is Justin's Second Apology (Apology II). This letter was addressed to the Roman senate around 160 A.D. This is an impassioned plea to the Roman officials about their treatment of Christians. He addresses their ignorance and prejudices, which he says as the main cause of this unwarranted persecution.
In this second apology, Justin favorably compares Socrates and Christ, in hopes that he could persuade the Romans to see how reasonable their Christian beliefs were. Again, Justin closes our this letter with a threat of divine judgment because of their persecution of the Christians.
Finally, the third work of Justin's that we have is his Dialogue with Trypho the Jew. This work is more of an autobiographical reflection, in which he talks about his journey with a Jew named Trypho. In it, Justin recounts his conversion to Platonism, and then to Christianity. He explains and defends the doctrine of the incarnation,and how it is compatible with monotheism.
The Theology of Justin Martyr
Justin is most known for his doctrine of Christ as the cosmic logos (Greek for "word"). Justin saw the logos concept as the key to explaining all other Christian beliefs. In explaining what he believes, Justin argues that the Logos is God's preexistant Spirit, a second God so to speak, who became incarnate in Jesus Christ. For those of you familiar with the fire analogy of the trinity, Justin was the one who came up with it. It goes like this: The Logos' eternal generation from the Father in no way diminishes the Father, because, like fire kindled from far, "that from which many can be kindled is by no means made less, but remains the same."
The Life of Justin Martyr
Justin was born into a Greek family in Palestine sometime in the first half of the second century. Outside of this, not much is known about his pre-Christian days, other than the fact that he became a philosopher in the Platonic school, which he left after his conversion to Christianity.
Justin arrived in Rome around 150 A.D. and began teaching Christianity. It is clear from his writings that he considers himself a Christian philosopher, a.k.a. philosopher of Christ. In fact, tradition has it that even after Justin converted to Christianity, he still wore his philosophical tunic, which aroused some gossip and controversy about him. He also referred to Socrates as a "Christian before Christ."
No one really knows why, but for some reason, Justin was martyred in Rome by the authorities in 162 A.D. His writings reveal that he foresaw this fate. His open, bold, uncompromising statements and defense of Christianity could have very well contributed to his death. Regardless of the cause, we do know that Justine was a great encouragement to the Christians in the second century to stand firm in their faith.
The Works of Justin Martyr
As far as we know, some of Justin's works have been lost. However, we have three extant works that though brief, shed great light on the brilliance of Justin.
The first work we have is entitled The First Apology of Justin (Apology I), and was probably written around 155 A.D. on the occasion of Polycarp's martyrdom. This apology is a very bold address to Emperor Antonius Pius. In it, Justin admonishes the emperor to enact a more just treatment of the Christians. He told the emperor that the persecution against Christians because of their beliefs, without ever investigating their behavior, was evil. He argued that Christians are good, reasonable citizens, who though they practice civil disobedience now and then, are morally good, worshipers of God.
One of the unique facets of this work is Justin's' comparison between Plato and Moses. Seeing that Plato was Pius' favorite philosopher, Justin argued that Plato was indebted to Moses for some of his ideas, because Moses came first! At the end of the letter, Justin warns the emperor that he will not escape the judgment of God, and that he should repent and do that which is pleasing to God.
The second work we have is Justin's Second Apology (Apology II). This letter was addressed to the Roman senate around 160 A.D. This is an impassioned plea to the Roman officials about their treatment of Christians. He addresses their ignorance and prejudices, which he says as the main cause of this unwarranted persecution.
In this second apology, Justin favorably compares Socrates and Christ, in hopes that he could persuade the Romans to see how reasonable their Christian beliefs were. Again, Justin closes our this letter with a threat of divine judgment because of their persecution of the Christians.
Finally, the third work of Justin's that we have is his Dialogue with Trypho the Jew. This work is more of an autobiographical reflection, in which he talks about his journey with a Jew named Trypho. In it, Justin recounts his conversion to Platonism, and then to Christianity. He explains and defends the doctrine of the incarnation,and how it is compatible with monotheism.
The Theology of Justin Martyr
Justin is most known for his doctrine of Christ as the cosmic logos (Greek for "word"). Justin saw the logos concept as the key to explaining all other Christian beliefs. In explaining what he believes, Justin argues that the Logos is God's preexistant Spirit, a second God so to speak, who became incarnate in Jesus Christ. For those of you familiar with the fire analogy of the trinity, Justin was the one who came up with it. It goes like this: The Logos' eternal generation from the Father in no way diminishes the Father, because, like fire kindled from far, "that from which many can be kindled is by no means made less, but remains the same."
Obviously Justin had not worked out a clear understanding of the trinity, in fact, at this time, no one did. However, he did begin the process of trinitarian reflection.
Another aspect of his cosmic Christ belief is the the Logos was God's offshoot and agent in the creation of the universe. In Greek thought, the Logos was the mediating being between God and His creation. This thought is seen in Hebrew thought, as well as in John's gospel. Justin was thus telling his Greek audience that the Logos that we Greeks speak of is none other this Christ in which we Christians proclaim!
Justin also used the cosmic Christ to support a belief which he labeled the Logos spermatikos, or the seed of the Logos. This belief stated that the seed of the Logos is found in every human being, and is the source of all truth, whenever truth is seen. This, he argued, is why Christians can embrace all truth as God's truth. Christ is the source of all beauty, knowledge, and goodness, and wherever these are seen, they should be embraced. This is because they are seeds of the Logos scattered throughout all creation. This is why Justin could hold on to facets of Greek philosophy and combine them with the truths he found in Scripture. He also argued that it is only Christians who can come to know the Logos fully, because He became incarnate in Jesus to reveal the fullness of God.
Obviously, we have just scratched the surface of Justin, but I hope this peaks your interest and spurs you on to further study.