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[[File:Justin Martyr.jpg|thumbnail|right|200px|The early church father Justin Martyr]]

[[File:Justin Martyr.jpg|thumbnail|right|200px|The early church father Justin Martyr]]

'''Justin Martyr''' was a Christian apologist and a [[martyr]].  He was beheaded for his faith around 165 AD at the behest of emperor [[Marcus Aurelius]].  He is mentioned in multiple sources of antiquity and a large body of his work survives to this day.

'''Justin''' ([[Latin]]: Marcus Junianus Justinus Frontinus) was a second century author commonly known as '''Justin Martyr''' became a [[Christian]] apologist who was later [[martyr|martyred]] for his faith.  His works flourished during the 3rd centuary remained vastly popular during the [[Medieval]] period providing us with over 200 source documents.

He was a [[philosopher]] who had experimented with [[Stoicism]], Pythagoreanism and Platonism. Justin was converted to [[Christ]] around 132 AD after being urged to turn to the [[Old Testament|Jewish scriptures]]. In his "apologies" (from the Greek plural ''apologia'', singular ''apologion'', "[[Apologetics|explanations]]") to the emperor [[Antoninus Pius]] and the [[Roman Senate]], he argued that the truth found in Greek philosophy prefigured some of the teachings of [[Christ]]. He also wrote Dialogue with Trypho, a debate between Justin and a Jew arguing that Christianity was the fulfillment of [[Judaism]]. Justin traveled extensively throughout the [[Roman Empire]] in evangelistic efforts.  

[[Justin's History of the World]] otherwise known as ''Epitome'' is understood to be an abridgement of [[Gnaeus Pompeius Trogus|Pompey Trogue's]] work ''Historiae Philippicae et totius mundi origines et terrae situs'' (otherwise known as ''Philippic Histories'') whose work compiled in the time of [[Augustus]] is now lost.  But the work now preserved through ''Justin Martyr'' is considered important to students of the [[Hellenistic]] period due to its Macedonian and Parthian content.  Some critics accuse the work of "colourless moralising"<ref>''Encyclopedia Britannica'', retrieved 2024-01-26<br>https://www.britannica.com/biography/Justin-Roman-historian</ref>  While others suggest that the identities of Justin Martyr and the author of the histories may have been mistaken as the same.<ref>Chrisholm, Hugh, (ed. 1911) "Justin" ''Encyclopedia Britannica'', (11th Edition) Cambridge University Press</ref>

Justin Martyr's [[Dialogue with Trypho]] can be sumarised as a debate between Justin Martyr and a [[Jew]] arguing that [[Christianity]] is the fulfillment of [[Judaism]].

In his "apologies" (from the Greek plural ''apologia'', singular ''apologion'', "[[Apologetics|explanations]]") to the emperor [[Antoninus Pius]] and the [[Roman Senate]], he argued that the truth found in Greek philosophy prefigured some of the teachings of [[Christ]].

 

 

Very little is known about the life of Justin Martyr, with his name only ever appearing in the title of his work.  But is generally accepted that he was a [[philosopher]] who had experimented with [[Stoicism]], [[Pythagoreanism]] and [[Platonism]] who accepted [[Christianity]] around 132 AD; this event being the result of a challenge to the [[Old Testament|Jewish scriptures]]. It is also generally understood that Justin Martyr traveled extensively throughout the [[Roman Empire]] before was beheaded for his faith around 165 AD at the behest of the emperor [[Marcus Aurelius]].  But this narrative is questioned by [[Sir Ronald Syme]] as he argues for a date for ''Justin's History of the World'' being around AD 390 after the publication of [[Augustan History]].