Justin Martyr

Life

Justin Martyr (Latin Iustinus) is believed to have been born in the early second century to a Gentile family in Flavia Neapolis, in the region of Samaria. According to the opening of his Dialogue with Trypho, as a young man he sought the truth among the Stoic, Peripatetic, Pythagorean, and Platonic schools of philosophy in turn. He then met an old man by the sea who told him about the Old Testament prophets and about Christ, and he underwent conversion. After his conversion he continued to wear the philosopher's cloak, taught Christianity as the "true philosophy," and opened a school in Rome.

Around 165, when Junius Rusticus, prefect of the city of Rome, demanded that he renounce his faith, Justin refused and was executed along with other believers. The proceedings of his trial have been preserved as the Martyrdom of Justin. The epithet "Martyr" attached to his name derives from this death.

Ministry and Achievements

Three writings are accepted today as his authentic works:

• First Apology: Addressed to Emperor Antoninus Pius around 150, it refutes the charges that Christians were atheists and traitors.
• Second Apology: A short supplementary work addressed to the Roman Senate.
• Dialogue with Trypho: Written in the form of a conversation with a Jew named Trypho, it argues that the Old Testament prophecies were fulfilled in Jesus.

Justin held that the Logos (both Word and Reason) is sown like a seed in every human being, so that even the Greek philosophers grasped part of the truth. This is known as the doctrine of the "seminal Logos" (logos spermatikos). He also did not regard God's visible appearances (theophanies) to Abraham, Moses, and others as direct appearances of the Father. Instead, he interpreted these events as appearances of the Son, that is, the Logos, before the Incarnation.

Chapters 65–67 of the First Apology describe baptism and the Eucharist. Justin also records that on "the day of the Sun" (Sunday) believers gathered to read the memoirs of the apostles and the writings of the prophets; after the presider gave an exhortation, they prayed together, offered thanksgiving over bread and wine, and collected offerings to help those in need. This passage is regarded as one of the earliest accounts of worship in the early church.

Assessment

The Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Anglican Communion, and other churches commemorate him as a saint; his memorial in the Catholic Church falls on June 1. Protestants likewise hold him in high regard as an early apologist who sought to explain the faith in the language of reason.

Justin has also been criticized on several points:

• Understanding of the Trinity: Justin described the Logos as "another God" ranking after the Father. Measured against the doctrine of the Trinity as formulated after the Council of Nicaea, this language has been criticized as reflecting a subordinationist tendency that diminishes the Son. Many, however, regard it as a limitation of expression from a period before orthodox doctrine was established.
• Doctrine of the seminal Logos: This concept is sometimes invoked today in defense of religious pluralism. In response, evangelicals argue that Justin did not teach salvation apart from Christ.
• View of Judaism: His description of the church as the "true Israel" in the Dialogue with Trypho has been criticized as one of the roots of later anti-Jewish interpretation.