Justin

Justin
A.D. 100?–165?

Also known as “Justin the Martyr” and “Justin the Philosopher”

Justin was raised under the influence of the philoso­phies of his time.  He traveled down all the avenues of  consideration, but he was satisfied by none of them.  He sat under the influence of the Sto­ics, Pythagore­ans, Peri­patetics, Platonists, and fi­nally Christianity.  He was con­verted to Christianity, by a man attempting to convince him of the short­comings of Platonism.  He was encouraged to search the scriptures and pray.[1]

After his conversion, he continued to preach and teach in the robe of a philosopher.  He was also un­able or un­willing to shed the influence that Platon­ism had on his life.

He is the first of the Church fathers to bring classi­cal schol­arship and Pla­tonic philosophy in contact with the Christian theology [emphasis mine].  He found in Pla­tonism many re­sponses to the Gospel, which he attributed in part to the fragmentary, germ-like revela­tion of the Logos before the incarnation, and in part to an ac­quaintance with the Mosaic Scriptures.  With him Christ was the absolute reason, and Christianity, the only true philosophy. [2]

This is the point where a staunch Trinitarian may ac­cuse me of tak­ing this information out of context.  They will say that Justin was ortho­dox in his Chris­tology and in his Christianity.  I do not expect agreement, but the facts stand alone.  Justin was deeply influenced by philosophy and this influence remained with him throughout his life.  Though he may discredit philosophers in some aspect of their teaching, he promotes philosophical teaching by be­lieving the philosophers are in­fluenced by the prophets of the Bible.

Justin’s words:

And so, too, Plato, when he says, “The blame is his who chooses, and God is blameless,” took this from the prophet Moses and uttered it.  For Moses is more ancient than all the Greek writers.  And whatever bother philosophers and poets have said concerning the immortality of the soul, or punishments after death, or contemplation of things heav­enly, or doc­trines of the like kind, they have received such sug­gestions from the prophets as have enabled them to un­derstand and interpret these things.[3]

No author will discredit Justin because he promoted the doctrine of the Trinity and they are all in agree­ment with him.  In this case, on this earth, the ma­jority rules.  In God’s court, God rules, and truth reigns.

[1] McClintock and Strong, Volume IV, p.1105 and  Alexander Roberts, D.D., and James Donaldson, LL.D.,  Editors.

[2] McClintock and Strong, Volume IV, p. 1109.

[3] The Ante-Nicene Fathers (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.), Dialogue with Trypho the Jew, Volume I, pp. 194-237., Volume I, p. 177.