Supplemental Notes on Justin Martyr
Philosophy 2 - Epperson
Justin Martyr = Roman apologist
2 fold defense of Christianity against Roman AND Jewish opposition to Christianity..
Used the rhetorical strategy of ‘apology’ (‘apo logos’ = from knowledge, or divine
wisdom) i.e., a ‘reasoned defense’
Justin wants Christianity to be both a) tolerated, and b) adopted by his opponents.
Why were Christians persecuted? Reasons for the Apology:
1. separate corporate community: monotheistic, semi-anti-social
2. emperor and the state itself is deified: ‘religion’ = ‘tie’
Justin then says to worship God only, but respect the state and emperor, etc.
3. Relation of faith and love: love of enemy / neighbor. Heavy contrast to Hellenistic
self-sufficiency grounded in Rome.
Christianity, then, seems a servitude religion that won’t help save a follower.
There is a concern with moral purity via education, similar to Hellenistic ideals, but with
Christianity, purity isn’t only a matter of personal will, but also DIVINE GRACE. i.e., we
NEED GOD, not just the State.
This is a challenge to Roman order and power.
Apology is a reasoned defense, and in Justin’s case, associated with a natural theological
attempt to prove God’s existence.
it is an attempt to validate the revealed claims of Christianity.
2 basic concerns:
1. Epistemological concern: how can these moral claims be known?
Justin claims that via creation, our soul gives us an intrinsic knowledge of
morality.
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2. Criteriological concern: needs to validate and elucidate the standards of truth and
falsehood.
Justin shows that this validation is by Christ, via various strategies. He tries to
convince his audience that the Chistological criteria are the only criteria for truth.
Meta-Ethics
Morality is grounded in the reality of God. It is thus objective.
Truth and Falsehood comes from a caring God... i.e., He cares about virtue and vice.
These are not merely matters of social condition.
Therefore, the courtroom where the ‘apo logos’ is given is actually the realm of
the Divine, not the realm of the State. Justin makes sure he’s playing on his own
field, in other words.
Normative ethics: What is worthy of our pursuit? What is truly valuable? What is ‘the good?’
Hellenistic ethics = eudaimonea, knowledge, etc. It is teleological (end-oriented) rather
than ontological, which is more value-oriented.
Justin puts God into both of these motivations. Therefore, if the Romans wish to be truly
happy and enjoy the good, they should become Christian...
First Apology:
Justin is considered the greatest apologist; he always wore his ‘philosopher’s coat’—a ‘Divine’
philosopher.
The text moves through steps:
1-8:
9-20:
21-39:
30-53:
68:
Plea for hearing
Description of Christianity
Superiority of Christianity
Prophesy
Paganism = imitation of Christianity
Christian worship
Conclusion
Christianity is the truth of the Logos (reason) of the Divine.
All ethical claims thus center on the universality of Christian morals.
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1. all valid moral arguments (pagan, Jewish, etc.) are founded by Christian Logos.
2. anyone following WISDOM follows Christ (whether they admit it or not).
Good opening for Stoic ‘natural law’
Logos is divinely created and intrinsic in everyone.
3. Christianity is the negation/replacement of all false forms of piety/knowledge.
Justin is careful not to reduce God as a stoic would.
Second Apology:
The seeds of the Logos are sprinkled throughout the universe, giving it order.
not really developed in the 1st Apology.
Free will isn’t really developed in the 1st Apology either. Sin is reduced to lack of
knowledge. (recall Plato/Socrates, etc)
The turn to Logos allows Justin to claim the Universality of God AND the Particularities of
Christ...
Justin’s whole argument is grounded in the Logos ----> the one Good that all humans should
seek.
Compare this to post-modern criticisms of ‘normative’ ethics:
they lead to wars
anti-normative / ‘relative’ morality = many goods, as opposed to people sharing
one good.