HOW CAN WE EMULATE THEM IN THE 21ST CENTURY?

Justin Martyr and the Early Apologists

The History of the Church

100 150 300 600

TheologiansApologistsApostolic Fathers

Apostles

Who are the Early Apologists?

QuadratusAristidesJustin MartyrTatianTheophilusAthenagoras

Quadratus

“After Trajan (AD 117) had reigned for nineteen and a half years Hadrian (AD 125) became his successor in the empire. To him Quadratus addressed a discourse containing an apology for our religion, because certain wicked men had attempted to trouble the Christians. The work is still in the hands of a great many of the brethren, as also in our own, and furnishes clear proofs of the man’s understanding and of his apostolic orthodoxy.” Eusebius Church History 4.3.1

Aristides

“Aristides also, a believer earnestly devoted to our religion, left, like Quadratus, an apology for the faith, addressed to Hadrian. His work, too, has been preserved even to the present day by a great many persons.” Eusebius Church History 4.3.3

Justin Martyr

Born in Samaria AD 114Suffered Martyrdom AD 165 Writings: First and Second Apology, Dialogue

with Trypho

Justin Martyr

Eusebius says:

“Justin, in a philosopher’s garb, served as ambassador of the divine Logos and fought for the faith through his writings” (Church History 4.11)

Justin Martyr

“When he had spoken these and many other things, which there is no time for mentioning at present, he went away, bidding me attend to them; and I have not seen him since. But straightway a flame was kindled in my soul; and a love of the prophets, and of those men who are friends of Christ, possessed me; and while revolving his words in my mind, I found this philosophy alone to be safe and profitable. Thus, and for this reason, I am a philosopher” Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho 8

Tatian

Disciple of Justin MartyrAfter Justin’s martyrdom became the founder

of a Gnostic heresy“Word has it that Tatian was the author of

this error, whom I quoted previously regarding the wonderful Justin, whose disciple he was.” Eusebius Church History 4.29

Tatian

“Retiring by myself, I sought how I might be able to discover the truth. And, while I was giving my most earnest attention to the matter, I happened to meet with certain barbaric writings, too old to be compared with the opinions of the Greeks, and too divine to be compared with their errors; and I was led to put faith in these by the unpretending cast of the language, the inartificial character of the writers, the foreknowledge displayed of future events, the excellent quality of the precepts, and the declaration of the government of the universe as centered in one Being.” Tatian Address to the Greeks 29

Theophilus of Antioch

“Therefore, do not be skeptical, but believe; for I myself also used to disbelieve that this would take place, but now, having taken these things into consideration, I believe. At the same time, I met with the sacred Scriptures of the holy prophets, who also by the Spirit of God foretold the things that have already happened, just as they came to pass.”

Theophilus To Autolycus 1.14

Athenagoras

Athenian Philosopher

Early Apologist Arguments

Moses

OT Prophecies/Scriptures/Christ

Christian Exorcisms

Suffering and Righteous Lives

Moses

“For what else is Plato than Moses speaking Attic Greek?” Clement of Alexandria Strom. 1.22

“For Moses is more ancient than all the Greek writers” Justin Martyr First Apology 44

Moses

“But now it seems proper for me to demonstrate that our philosophy is older than the systems of the Greeks. Moses and Homer shall be our limits, each of them being of great antiquity; the one being the oldest of poets and historians, and the other the founder of all barbarian wisdom. Let us, then, institute a comparison between them; and we shall find that our doctrines are older, not only than those of the Greeks, but than the invention of letters.” Tatian Address to the Greeks 31

OT Prophecies

“For with what reason should we believe of a crucified man that He is the first-born of the unbegotten God, and Himself will pass judgment on the whole human race, unless we had found testimonies concerning Him published before He came and was born as man, and unless we saw that things had happened accordingly—the devastation of the land of the Jews, and men of every race persuaded by His teaching through the apostles.” Justin Martyr First Apology 53

OT Prophecies

“Now there is a village in the land of the Jews, thirty-five stadia from Jerusalem, in which Jesus Christ was born, as you can ascertain also from the registers of the taxing made under Cyrenius, your first procurator in Judaea.”Justin Martyr First Apology 34

Christian Exorcism

“‘Jesus,’ His name as man and Savior, has also significance. For He was made man also, as we before said, having been conceived according to the will of God the Father, for the sake of believing men, and for the destruction of the demons. And now you can learn this from what is under your own observation. For numberless demoniacs throughout the whole world, and in your city, many of our Christian men exorcising them in the name of Jesus Christ, who was crucified under Pontius Pilate, have healed and do heal, rendering helpless and driving the possessing devils out of the men, though they could not be cured by all the other exorcists, and those who used incantations and drugs.” Justin Martyr Second Apology 6

Suffering and Righteous Lives

“For it is plain that, though beheaded, and crucified, and thrown to wild beasts, and chains, and fire, and all other kinds of torture, we do not give up our confession; but the more such things happen, the more do others and in larger numbers become faithful, and worshippers of God through the name of Jesus.” Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho, 110

“The blood of Christians is seed” Tertullian Apology 50

“…nor has any Christian been convicted of crime…” Athenagoras A Plea for the Christians 2

Emulating the Early Apologists in the 21st Century

Holiness OT Prophecies Hell and the Judgment to ComeLove Christ and His Scriptures

Read the Fathers!

1042 Lead Pastor214-460-5872justin@1042church.com