Justin Martyr’s Apology, Part 2
The compelling defense of the faith written to the Roman emperor around 150 AD by a notable early church martyr.
Justin Martyr’s Apology Part 2
Sections: Check it Out | More on the Promised Messiah | The Word Changes Lives | Joy Given | Not Fatalism | Moses Before the Greek Philosophers | Watch Out! | Found by Those Who Didn’t Seek | Why Would We Ever Follow a Crucified One | The Sign of the Cross Everywhere | Plato, Too | We Must Explain Baptism | How We Worship | We Observe the Lord’s Supper | Helping, Praying, Giving | A Plea and a Warning
Check It Out!
Listen what part of the earth he was to be born in, as another prophet, Micah, foretold. He said: “And thou, Bethlehem, the land of Judah, art not the least among the princes of Judah; for out of thee shall come forth a Governor, who shall feed My people.”(7) Now there is a village in the land of the Jews [five miles] from Jerusalem, in which Jesus Christ was born. You can also check this from the records of the taxation made under Cyrenius, your first procurator in Judaea.
More on the Promised Messiah
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. . .There are the following predictions: “Unto us a child is born, and unto us a young man is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulders.”(8). . . Through another prophet He says, “They pierced My hands and My feet, and for My vesture they cast lots.”(9) Indeed David, the king and prophet who said these things, did not experience any of them. But Jesus Christ stretched out His hands, being crucified by the Jews speaking against Him and denying that He was the Christ. As the prophet spoke, they tormented Him and set Him on the judgment-seat and said, Judge us. The expression, “They pierced my hands and my feet,” was used in reference to the nails of the cross which were fixed in His hands and feet. After He was crucified they cast lots for his clothing, and those who crucified Him divided it among them. You can determine that these things did happen from the Acts of Pontius Pilate. . . .
But when you hear the prophecies spoken of personally, you must not suppose that they are spoken by the inspired themselves, but by the Divine Word who moves them. For sometimes He declares things that are to come to pass, like one who foretells the future; sometimes He speaks as from the person of God the Lord and Father of all; sometimes as from the person of Christ; sometimes as from the person of the people answering the Lord or His Father. Just as you can see even in your own writers, one man writes the whole, but introduces conversations between persons. . .
That this too may be clear to you, the following words were spoken from the person of the Father, through Isaiah the prophet: “The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master’s crib; but Israel doth not know, and My people hath not understood. Woe sinful nation, a people full of sins, a wicked seed, children that are transgressors, ye have forsaken the Lord.”(10). . .
[Justin also quotes Isaiah 66:1; 1:18; 18:6 here] What kind of things are taught through the prophets from [the person of] God you can now understand. And when the Spirit of prophecy speaks from the person of Christ, the proclamations are of this sort. . . “I gave My back to the scourges, and my cheeks to the buffetings; I turned not away My face from the shame of spitting; and the Lord was My helper. . .”(11) And again, when He says, “They spake with their lips, they wagged the head, saying, Let Him deliver himself.”(12) And that all these things happened to Christ at the hands of the Jews, you can determine. For when He was crucified, they did shoot out the lip and wagged their heads, saying, “Let Him who raised the dead save Himself.”(13)
The Word Changes Lives
. . .That it did so come to pass, we can convince you. From Jerusalem there went out into the world twelve illiterate men with no ability in speaking. But by the power of God they proclaimed to every race of men that they were sent by Christ to teach the word of God to all. We who used to murder one another not only now refrain from making war upon our enemies, but also, that we may not lie nor deceive our examiners, willingly die confessing Christ. . .
If the soldiers enrolled by you, who have taken the military oath, prefer their allegiance above their own life, and parents and country, and all kindred, though you can offer them nothing incorruptible, it would truly be ridiculous if we, who earnestly long for the corruption, should not endure all things to obtain what we desire from Him who is able to grant it. Listen to how it was prophesied about those who published His doctrine and proclaimed His appearance. . .
“Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. Their voice has gone out into all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world. In the sun hath He set His tabernacle, and he as a bridegroom going out of his chamber shall rejoice as a giant to run his course.”(14) We have thought it right and relevant to mention some other prophecies of David besides these. From these you may learn how the Spirit of prophecy urges men to live. He foretold the conspiracy which was formed against Christ by Herod the king of the Jews, and the Jews themselves and Pilate, who was your governor among them, with his soldiers. He foretold that He should be believed on by men of every race and how God calls Him His Son, and has declared that He will subdue all his enemies under Him. . .
Joy Given
But the Spirit of prophecy sometimes speaks of things that are about to come to pass as if they had already taken place, as may be observed even in the passages I’ve already cited. . .
David spoke the words cited above 1,000 years before Christ became a man and was crucified. No one who lived before him nor any of His contemporaries gave joy to the Gentiles by being crucified. But our Jesus Christ, being crucified and dead, rose again, and having ascended to heaven, reigned. By those things which were declared in His name among all nations by the apostles, there is joy given to those who expect the immortality promised by Him.
Not Fatalism
In case some think, from what has been said, that we say whatever happens, happens by a fatal necessity, because it is foretold as known beforehand, let us explain. We have learned from the prophets, and we hold it to be true, that punishments, chastisements, and good rewards are distributed according to the merit of each man’s actions. If this were not so, but all things happen by fate, then nothing at all is in our power. If it be fated that this man be good and this other evil, neither is the former commendable nor is the latter to be blamed. Again, unless the human race has the power to avoid evil and choose good by free choice, they are not accountable for their actions, whatever they are. . .
For God did not make men like other things, as trees or quadrupeds, which cannot act by choice. Man would be worthy of neither reward or praise if he did not of himself choose the good, but were created for this purpose. If he were evil, he would not be worthy of punishment, not being evil of himself, but being able to be nothing else than what he was made.
Moses Before the Greek Philosophers
And the Holy Spirit of prophecy taught us this, telling us by Moses that God spoke in this way to the man first created: “Behold, before thy face are good and evil: choose the good.”(15) . . .
So too, Plato, when he says, “The blame is his who chooses, and God is blameless,” took this from the prophet Moses and declared it. For Moses is more ancient than all the Greek writers. Whatever both philosophers and poets have said concerning the immortality of the soul, or punishments after death, or study of things heavenly, or similar doctrines, they have received such suggestions from the prophets which have enabled them to understand and interpret these things. So there seems to be seeds of truth among all men; but they are charged with not accurately understanding [the truth] when they assert contradictions. What we say about the future events being foretold, we do not say it as if they came about by a fatal necessity. God foreknows all that shall be done by all men. It is His decree that the future actions of men shall be judged according to their respective merits. He foretells by the Spirit of prophecy that he will give proper rewards according to the merit of the actions done, always urging the human race to effort and remembrance, showing that he cares and provides for men. . .
Watch Out!
God the Father of all would bring Christ to heaven after He had raised Him from the dead, and would keep Him there until He has subdued His enemies the devils, and until the number of those foreknown by Him as good and moral is complete. Because of these He has still delayed the completion [of history]. Listen to what the prophet David said: “The Lord said unto My Lord, Sit Thou at My right hand, until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool. The Lord shall send to Thee the rod of power out of Jerusalem; and rule Thou in the midst of thine enemies. With Thee is the government in the day of Thy power, in the beauties of Thy saints: from the womb of morning have I begotten Thee.”(16) When he says, “He shall send to Thee the rod of power out of Jerusalem,” he is predicting the mighty word which His apostles, going out from Jerusalem, preached everywhere. . . And if you read these words in a hostile spirit, you can do no more, as I have said before, than kill us. This indeed does not really harm us. But to you and all who unjustly hate us and do not repent it brings you eternal punishment by fire. . . .
We have been taught that Christ is the first-born of God. And we have declared above that he is the Word of whom every race of men are partakers and those who lived reasonably are Christians even though they have been thought to be atheists as among the Greeks, Socrates and Heraclitus, and men like them. That it was predicted that our Christ should heal all diseases and raise the dead, listen to what was said: “At His coming the lame shall leap as a deer, and the tongue of the stammerer shall be clear speaking; the blind shall see, and the lepers shall be cleansed; and the dead shall rise, and walk about.”(17) You can learn from the Acts of Pontius Pilate that He did these things. The Spirit of prophecy predicted that He and those who hoped in Him should be killed. Listen what was said by Isaiah: “Behold now the righteous perisheth and no man layeth it to heart; and just men are taken away, and no man considereth. From the presence of wickedness is the righteous man taken, and his burial shall be in peace: he is taken from our midst.”(18)
Found by Those Who Didn’t Seek
The same Isaiah said that the Gentile nations who were not looking for Him should worship Him, but the Jews who always expected Him should not recognize Him when He came. The words are spoken as from the person of Christ; and they are these: “I was manifest to them that asked not for Me; I was found of them that sought Me not. . .”(19) For the Jews having the prophecies, and always expecting the Christ to come, did not recognize Him and even treated Him shamefully. But the Gentiles, who had never heard anything about Christ until the apostles set out from Jerusalem and preached concerning Him and gave them the prophecies, were filled with joy and faith. They cast away their idols and dedicated themselves to the Unbegotten God through Christ. . .
Having become man for our sakes, He endured suffering and dishonor, but He will come again with glory. Listen to the prophecies which relate to this: [Justin here quotes Isaiah 53:13-15, 1-8]. . . After He was crucified, even all His acquaintances forsook Him and denied Him. After He had risen from the dead and appeared to them, He taught them to read the prophecies in which all these things were foretold. When they had seen Him ascending into heaven, had believed, and received the power He sent upon them, they went to every race of men. They taught these things and were called apostles. (Justin then cites Isaiah 53:8-12 and Psalms 24:7 to demonstrate how it was predicted that Christ would rule over his enemies and ascend into heaven.) Since, then, we prove that all things which have already happened had been predicted by the prophets before they came to pass, we must necessarily believe also that those things which are in like manner predicted, but are yet to come to pass, shall certainly happen. . . For the prophets have proclaimed two advents of His: the one, that which is already past, when He came as a dishonored and suffering Man; but the second, when, according to prophecy, He shall come from heaven with glory, accompanied by His angelic host. Then He also shall raise the bodies of all men who have lived and shall clothe those of the worthy with immortality. He shall send those of the wicked, possessing eternal sensibility, into everlasting fire with the wicked devils. . . .
[after summarizing the prophecies already discussed, Justin discussed the pagan mythologies and claims the demons created them as distortions of the prophecies of Christ]. . .
Why Would We Ever Follow A Crucified One?
We could bring forth many other prophecies but will not now because we judge that what we have already set forth are sufficient to persuade those willing to hear and understand. They should be able to see that we are not making mere claims without offering proof as is the case of the fables of the so called sons of Jupiter. For why would we ever believe that a crucified man is the first born of the unbegotten God? Why would we believe that He is the one who will judge the human race unless we had found that the testimonies about him published before He came and was born as a man had actually come to pass?. . .(Justin goes on to give examples of how the demons and pagan mythologies have imitated and distorted the prophecies regarding Christ and then goes into further detail on the crucifixion.)
The Sign of Cross Everywhere
But (although the pagan mythologies imitated Christ at many points) in no instance did they imitate the crucifixion, not even in the sons of Jupiter. For that was not understood by them as all of the things said about it were put forth symbolically. And this, as the prophet foretold is the greatest symbol of his power and rule. This is proven by all the common things that we can readily observe. Consider our world and whether there would be any effective administration or community if it were not for this form of the cross. You can only cross the sea when you make use of a sail in the ship. The earth is not plowed without it. This same shape of the cross is in the tools that diggers and mechanics use to do their work. And the human form differs from the animals in being erect with hands extended and having on the face extending from the forehead what is called a nose through which there is respiration for a living creature. This too shows the form of cross. And so it was said by the prophet that “The breath before our face is the Lord Christ.”
The power of the form of the cross is also shown by your own symbols on what are called “vexilla” or banners and trophies with which all your state possessions are made. Thus (you use the sign of the cross) as the insignia of your power and government even though you are not aware of it. And with this form you consecrate the images of your emperors when they die and you name them gods by inscriptions. So, seeing that we have urged you both by reason and by this clearly seen form, and to the utmost of our ability, we know that we are now blameless even though you still do not believe. Our part is done and finished. (Justin thereupon continued his discussion of how the demons mislead and cause persecution of Christians and refers again to Simon who was made a god in Rome and had a statue erected in his honor. Justin appeals to the truth and in regard to the statue he asks, if they would, please destroy it. He goes on to show how the demons raise up heretics and how Greek philosophy was indebted to Moses. He then specifically illustrates with Plato and the cross.)
Plato, Too
Consider the physiological discussion concerning the Son of God in the Timaeus of Plato, where he says, “He placed him crosswise in the universe.” That too he borrowed from Moses. For in the writings of Moses it tells of how, when the Israelites went out of Egypt and were in the wilderness, they fell in with poisonous beasts-vipers, asps and every kind of serpent-which slew the people. Moses, by the inspiration and influence of God, took brass and made it into the figure of a cross and set it in the tabernacle. Then he said to the people: “If you look to this figure, and believe, you will be thereby saved.” When this was done, it was recorded that the serpents died, and the people thus escaped death. Plato read this and did not accurately understand that it was the figure of the cross but taking it to be a placing crosswise he said that the power next to the first God was placed crosswise in the universe. He also spoke of a third god because he read, as we have said above, that which was also spoken by Moses, “that the Spirit of God moved over the waters.” Plato thus gives second place to the Logos which is with God, whom he said was placed crosswise in the universe; and he gives the third place to the Spirit who was said to be borne upon the water, saying, “And the third around the third.” . . .
So it is not then that we hold the same opinions as others, but rather they all speak in imitation of ours. Among our people these things can be learned from persons who do not even know the forms of the letters, who are uneducated. They may be barbarous in speech but they are wise and believing in mind. Some are even maimed and blind. So you may understand that these things are not the effect of human wisdom, but are uttered in the power of God.
We Must Explain Baptism
I will also relate the manner in which we dedicated ourselves to God when we had been made new through Christ. If we omit this, we seem to be unfair in the explanation we are making. Those who are persuaded and believe that what we teach and say is true and set themselves to live accordingly, are instructed to pray and to entreat God with fasting, for the remission of their sins that are past. We pray and fast with them. Then they are brought by us where there is water and are regenerated in the same manner in which we were ourselves regenerated. In the name of God, the Father and Lord of the universe, and of our Savior Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Spirit, they then receive the washing with water. For Christ also said, “Except ye be born again, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.”(20) Now, that it is impossible for those who have once been born to enter into their mothers’ wombs is obvious to all. How those who have sinned and repent shall escape their sins, is declared by Isaiah the prophet. . . “Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from your souls; learn to do well; judge the fatherless, and plead for the widow: and come and let us reason together, saith the Lord. And though your sins be as scarlet, I will make them white like wool; and though they be as crimson, I will make them white as snow. But if ye refuse and rebel, the sword shall devour you: for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it.”(21). . .
[Justin describes how many of the pagan ceremonies involving sprinkling and washing with water or taking off the shoes in the temple are really copying from the Jewish prophetic writings, such as Moses taking off his shoes before the burning bush]. . .
How We Worship
But we, after we have washed him who has been convinced and has assented to our teaching, bring him to the place where those who are called brothers assembled. There we offer hearty prayers in common for ourselves and for the baptized [illuminated] person. We pray also for all others in every place, that we may be considered worthy, now that we have learned the truth, also to be found good citizens and keepers of the commandments by our works, so that we may be saved with an everlasting salvation. When the prayers are ended, we greet one another with a kiss. Then bread and a cup of wine mixed with water is brought to the president of the brethren. He takes them, giving praise and glory to the Father of the universe, through the name of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, and offers thanks at considerable length for our being considered worthy to receive these things at His hands. When he has concluded the prayers and thanksgivings, all the people present express their assent by saying Amen. The word Amen means “so be it” in Hebrew. When the president has given thanks and all the people have expressed their agreement, those who are called deacons give to each of those present the bread and the wine mixed with water over which the thanksgiving has been pronounced. They carry away a portion to those who are absent.
We Observe the Lord’s Supper
This food is called among us the Eucharist. No one is allowed to participate but the man who believes that the things we teach are true, and who has been washed with the washing for the remission of sins, and unto regeneration, and who is living as Christ has commanded. We do not receive these as common bread and common drink. As Jesus Christ our Savior, made flesh by the Word of God, had both flesh and blood for our salvation, so similarly we have been taught that the food blessed by the prayer of His word, and from which our blood and flesh by transmutation are nourished, is the flesh and blood of that Jesus who was made flesh. For the apostles, in the memoirs composed by them, which are called Gospels, have delivered unto us what was commanded to them: Jesus took bread, and when He had given thanks, said, “This do ye in remembrance of Me, this is My body.” After the same manner, having taken the cup and given thanks, He said, “This is My blood;” and gave it to them alone.(22) The wicked devils have imitated this in the mysteries of Mithras, commanding the same things to be done. That the bread and a cup of water are placed with certain incantations in the mystic rites of one who is being initiated you already know about or you can learn.
Helping, Praying, Giving
Afterwards we continually remind each other of these things. The wealthy among us help the needy, and we always keep together. We bless the Maker of all through His Son Jesus Christ, and through the Holy Spirit for all things with which we are provided. On the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together in one place. The memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as time permits. When the reader has finished, the president teaches and urges us to imitate these good things. Then we all rise together and pray. . . When our prayer is ended, bread, wine and water are brought, and the president offers prayers and thanksgivings, according to his ability, and the people assent, saying Amen. There is a distribution to each and a participation of that over which thanks have been given. . .Those who are well to do and willing give what each thinks appropriate. What is collected is deposited with the president, who helps the orphans and widows. He takes care of all who are in need. . .those in sickness, and those who are in prison, and the strangers living among us. Sunday is the day on which we all hold our common assembly, because it is the first day on which God worked a change in the darkness and matter and made the world. On the same day Jesus Christ our Savior rose from the dead. He was crucified on the day before that of Saturn (Saturday); and on the day. . .of the Sun, He appeared to His apostles and disciples. He taught them these things which we have submitted to you also for your consideration.
A Plea and a Warning
If these things seem reasonable and true to you, honor them; but if they seem nonsensical, despise them as nonsense, and do not decree death against those who have done no wrong, as you would against enemies. We warn you that you will not escape the coming judgment of God if you continue in your injustice. We ourselves invite you to do that which is pleasing to God. ..
Footnotes:
7. Micah 5:2
8. Isaiah 9:6
9. Psalm 22:16
10. Isaiah 1:3
11. Isaiah 50:6
12. Psalm 22:7-8
13. Matt. 27:39-43
14. Psalm 19:2
15. Deut. 30:15,19
16. Psalm 110:1-3
17. Isaiah 35:6
18. Isaiah 57:1
19. Isaiah 65:1-3
20. John 3:5
21. Isaiah 1:16-20
22. Luke 22:19
© 1994 Christian History Institute
