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THE FIRST APOLOGY Chapter 1 no THE EMPEROR Titus Aelius Adrianus Antoninus Pius Augustus Caesar; to his son Verissimus1 the . philosopher; to Lucius the philosopher, by birth son of Caesar and by adoption son of Pius,2 an admirer of learning; to the sacred Senate and to the whole Roman people; in behalf of those men of every race3 who are unjustly hated and mistreated: I, one of them, Justin, the son of Priscus and grandson of Bacchius, of the city of Flavia Neapolis4 in Syria-Palestine: do present this address and petition. Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, whose name, before his adoption by Antoninus Pius, was Marcus Annius Verus. Because of the connotation of this last name (,true'), which fitted his lifelong quest for philosophical truth, Hadrian used to call him emphatically Verissimus. 2 Lucius Ceionius Commodus, who afterwards will share the imperial honors with Marcus Aurelius. His father, Lucius Aelius Caesar, who had been adopted by the Emperor Hadrian, died before Hadrian. Afterwards, when Hadrian adopted Antoninus Pius. he obliged him in turn to adopt Marcus Annius Verus (Marcus Aurelius) and Lucius Ceionius. The title 'philosopher' was given to both adopted sons of Antoninus. 11 A proof of the rapid and vast propagation of Christianity at this early date. 4 The city built by the Romans on the ancient ruins of Sichem (modern Nablus). Named in honor of the Emperor Flavius Vespasian, it was colonized by the Romans. 5 'Palaestina' is originally an adjective added to Syria. meaning the Philistine or southern part of Syria. After the suppression of the rebellion under Hadrian, Judaea was called as a Roman province Syria Palaestina. 33 34 SAINT JUSTIN MARTYR Chapter 2 Common sense dictates that they who are truly pious men and philosophers! should honor and cherish only what is true, and refuse to follow the beliefs of their forefathers, if these beliefs be worthless. For, sound reason not only demands that we do not heed those who did or taught anything wrong, but it requires that the lover of truth must choose, in every way possible, to do and say what is right, even when threatened with death, rather than save his own life. You hear yourselves everywhere called pious men and philosophers, guardians of justice and lovers of learning: whether you really deserve this reputation will now become evident. Indeed, we have come not to flatter you with our writings or to curry your favor with this discourse, but to ask that, after an accurate and thorough examination, you hand down a decision that will not be influenced by prejudice or by the desire to please superstitious men; a decision that will not be the result of an irrational impulse or of an evil rumor long persistent , lest it become a judgment against yourselves. As far as we [Christians] are concerned, we believe that no evil can befall us unless we be convicted as criminals or be proved to be sinful persons. You, indeed, may be able to kill us, but you cannot harm us. Chapter 3 Lest anyone consider this an absurd and rash statement, we demand that the accusations against them [the Christians] be probed, and, if these be shown to be true, they be punished, 1 An allusion to the surnames of the addressees. THE FIRST APOLOGY 35 as any guilty persons should be.l If, however, no one has any way of proving these accusations, sane reason does not allow that you, because of a mischievous rumor, do an injustice to innocent men; [in this case] you rather do an injustice to yourselves when you choose to impose punishment2 not by fair judgment but by passion. Every reasonable person will agree that the only proper and just proposition is this: let the subjects render a .blameless account of their life and doctrine; likewise, let the rulers pass judgment, not through force and tyranny, but in accordance with piety and philosophy. In this way both rulers and subjects would fare well. In fact, one of the ancients has somewhere stated: 'Unless the rulers and their subjects become philosophers, it is impossible for states to become happy.'3 It is our duty, therefore, to give everyone a chance of investigating our life and doctrines, lest we should pay the penalty for what they commit in their blindness, they who persist in being ignorant of our ways! As for you, sound reason makes it your duty to prove yourselves good judges after you hear [our defense]. Hereafter, you will...
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