Martyr St. Justin the Philosopher
One day an old man (whose name and
origin are unknown) appeared to him and spoke to him of the Prophets and
Apostles who had learned of God not by their own wisdom, but by revelation of
God Himself. He read the scriptures and was convinced of the truth of the
Faith, but he would not be baptized or call himself a Christian until he had
tested all the pagans' arguments against Christianity. To this end he traveled
to Rome, where he engaged in debate at philosophical gatherings, impressing all
with his wisdom. In Rome, he witnessed the martyrdom of Sts. Ptolemy and
Lucian; this moved him to be baptized and to write an Apologia [defense]
for the Christian faith and the Christian people, which he gave to the Emperor
Antonius and the Roman Senate. Justin
asked the Senate to consider the life and works of the accused when passing
judgment, “ Justice
requires that you inquire into the life both of him who confesses and of him
who denies, that by his deeds it may be apparent what kind of man each is.” The authorities were so
moved by the arguments of this document that the Emperor ordered that
persecution of Christians should cease.
For the remainder of his life, Justin devoted all his skills to the proclamation of the Gospel and the defense of Christians. To the end of his life, wherever he preached Christ, he always wore his philosopher's robe. In addition to his Apologia, he wrote a number of other learned defenses of the faith.
Eventually he was imprisoned under a new wave of Christian persecutions by the Emperor Marcus Aurelius. He died in Rome in 167.
“For not only does sound reason direct us to refuse the guidance of those who did or taught anything wrong, but it is incumbent on the lover of truth, by all means, and if death be threatened, even before his own life, to choose to do and say what is right”.
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