The Life of Justin the Martyr

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Christian theology was not just, yet, solidified as one of the prominent religions of the world the day that Jesus died. iIt took many years to refine what we know as modern Christianity. This refinement came through the questioning and the digging through the early Christian writings. One early Christian theologian that contributed to this refinement was Justin the Martyr. Justin had a very unique perspective to the relationship between philosophy and Christianity, and used this to defend the early church to the emperor of Rome. Justin added a necessary aspect to Christianity and was an influence on the Christianity we know today.

Knowing someone’s background can be the key to understanding their point of views, which is why it is very necessary for us to look at the background of Justin. Justin was born in 100 A.D. about 75 years after Jesus died and was resurrected. His parents were not Christians and he was a scholar. During his teenage and young adult life he continually switched between different philosophical “religions” such as stoic, Pythagorean and stoic . He was constantly searching for truth and he finally felt that his thirst was quenched when he came across Christianity. Justin was overwhelmed when he converted to Christianity and said, "Straightway a flame was kindled in my soul," he writes, " and a love of the prophets and those who are friends of Christ possessed me.” This transformation is what set Justin up for being an influential writer of Christian theology.

One question that all theologians answer themselves is how they view humans and our history. Are we fundamentally good, are we bad, are we hopeless, and is there anything we can do to change, however we are? How did we come to be and how did our w...

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...1, 1910. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York

Roberts and Donaldson. INTRODUCTORY NOTE TO THE FIRST APOLOGY OF JUSTIN MARTYR. Text edited by Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson and first published in Edinburgh, 1867. Additional introductionary material and notes provided for the American edition by A. Cleveland Coxe 1886. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, reprint 2001

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