Some believers are born into Christian homes; others find Jesus in their quest for truth. Justin Martyr sought enlightenment through the writings of Greek philosophers until a life-changing encounter left him searching the Scriptures.

<p>Some believers are born into Christian homes; others find Jesus in their quest for truth. Justin Martyr sought enlightenment through the writings of Greek philosophers until a life-changing encounter left him searching the Scriptures.</p>

<p>Free sharing permitted under the Creative Commons <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/">BY-NC-ND 3.0 (US)</a> license.</p>

GYC Southeast

Rhonda Grakov

Great in God's Sight Season 1

John: the Soul that Knows its Worth

Polycarp: Eighty-Six Years

Justin Martyr: Philosopher to Child of God

Patrick: Unlikely Freedom

Thomas: The Other Half of Faith

Columba: The Dove of Scotland

Jerome, Cyril, and Methodius: Bibles for East and West

William Wilberforce, Part 1: The Great Change

William Wilberforce, Part 2: The Great Cause

Mark: One Young Man


Hello, and welcome to Grading God's Sight, the podcast that explores underrated heroes. We're so glad you've joined us for this episode entitled, Justin Martyr, Philosopher to Child of God. Please be sure to subscribe and visit our website at thegreatpodcast.org. That's thegreatpodcast.org. Thanks for listening!

Waves gently battered a tan-colored coastline as 2 seagulls waltzed across the sky, eagerly eyeing the sea for their next meal. Not far beneath them, a young man stared pensively into the horizon. His face revealed thoughts of depth and gravity. Noise from behind startled him, prompting a change in focus and expression. A stranger had followed him, unnoticed.

The intruder's casual, yet clean appearance and advanced age incited no apprehension. Upon starting conversation, the stranger explained that he was in earnest search for misplaced members of his household. The younger man did not know it at the time, But he was 1 of those lost members and this conversation would be his first exposure to Christianity. Flavius Justinus, later known as Justin Martyr, entered the world around AD 100. His family lived in Samaria, but likely descended from Greek immigrants.

Being moderately wealthy, Justin's parents invested in his education, an education that primarily focused on the writings of pagan poets and philosophers. Regardless of these influences, his proximity to Jerusalem must have resulted in a casual familiarity with the Hebrew God. This early exposure to monotheism prepared him to receive the gospel at a later time. In early adulthood, Justin shifted from 1 school of philosophy to another, eventually anchoring his belief system in Plato's writings. The Christian who discovered Justin by the sea quickly realized how important Greek philosophy was to the young man.

As he steered the conversation, the old man asked an appropriate question. How is philosophy defined, and what is its relation to happiness? Justin replied, Philosophy is the knowledge of that which really exists and a clear perception of the truth. Happiness is the reward of such knowledge and wisdom. In other words, Justin believed that truth formed the backbone of philosophical inquiry and was essential to happiness.

This pursuit of truth had led Justin to sort through diverse philosophers until arriving at Plato. As a prominent Greek philosopher, Plato worshipped many different gods, at least formally. Yet he believed in a being who created everything. In essence, the end goal of his philosophy was to look upon God. This had become Justin's desire also.

Yet using his mind's eye and Plato's instructions brought him to a very limited understanding. It was at this decisive moment that God sent his nameless servant to question the young philosopher. During the interaction, Justin learned of the Hebrew prophets. The old Christian explained, there existed long before this time certain men more ancient than all those who are esteemed philosophers, who spoke by the Divine Spirit. He proceeded to explain to Justin how these prophets foretold the coming of Jesus.

All this might have overwhelmed Justin if God had not placed it on his heart to seek out truth. On that day by the sea, the course of Justin's life was changed. Until then, he traveled through life seeking truth like a buried treasure, yet without an accurate map. The old Christian pointed him to the source of truth, and he could not resist the message. According to his account, God's Holy Spirit burned within his soul as he fell in love with the writings of Jesus' disciples and prophets.

The young man's shift in thinking would inevitably lead him to use his talents for God's kingdom. Of the various writings attributed to Justin, few exist in their complete form. The most influential of these are his 2 apologies. The word apology here indicates a defense of Christianity rather than an expression of regret. To fully understand Justin's apologies, we must first examine the Roman world as it related to the Christian religion.

Imperial Rome appears terrifying to our imaginations today. The cheapness of human life in gladiatorial games, the cruelty of scourging and crucifixion, and the unquestioned iron fist of authority, seem so contrary to the values of the modern world. Yet, Rome was soft when it came to religion, that is, until Christianity made its appearance. Rome's issue with the Christians can be divided into 2 elements, public worship and private worship. Believers faced pressure on every side to become like the culture around them.

Any meal or party was expected to begin with an offering to 1 of the numerous pagan gods. When many Christians refused to make an offering, or avoided the feasts entirely, This caused their pagan neighbors to believe they were irreligious or even blasphemous. To make matters worse, many occupations required them to engage with the pagan gods to some degree. A Christian could be asked to lay brick for a Roman temple, or design the wardrobe for a religious pontiff of that temple. Any natural disaster or outbreak of disease was attributed to the Christians for insulting the gods.

While this never failed to rile up the Roman populace, failure to worship the emperor often angered the authorities. In this way, a faithful Christian could not go about daily life without incurring wrath from both sides. In private, Christians performed ceremonies that caused suspicion from the pagans around them. Agape feasts and communion were among these controversial activities. Christians celebrated the love feasts, or agape feasts, with selfless sharing of food and the giving of a holy kiss of peace.

By far the most controversial aspect of this activity was the kiss. This display of affection, combined with the name Agape Feast, led to rumors that the Christians were engaging in some sort of promiscuous celebration. Similarly, the Lord's Supper created quite a stir among pagans for the simple fact that the bread and wine represented Jesus's body and blood. Many enemies claimed that this was an act of cannibalism. Pagans consequently justified their mistrust of these Christians by labeling them barbarians.

Justin responded to these various issues in his apologies. He identified the pagan gods for what they were, demons. Using his background in philosophy, he also linked this topic to the trial and death of Socrates. According to Justin, this philosopher did not acknowledge the gods recognized by the state. As a consequence, he was accused by his enemies of being an atheist and a profane person.

By using the illustration of Socrates, Justin sought to show that the Christians were not alone in their rejection of the pagan deities. To address the agape feasts and communion, Justin simply related the facts. The feasts had nothing to do with promiscuity, and the Lord's Supper was not an act of cannibalism. The central message of Justin's apologies can be summed up as a call for judgment to be founded on justice, not rumors. In most cases, punishment was carried out simply for a confession of being a Christian.

1 Roman official even stated, I do not know just what to do with the Christians. I was sure they deserve to be punished because they were so stubborn. No real crime could be attributed to them, except that they would not recant. Eventually, Justin himself would be pressured to renounce Christ or suffer the consequences. Faced with this challenge, he who taught others and defended the Christian cause held firmly to his faith.

At his trial, Justin explained that he had examined a multitude of belief systems, but acquiesced at last in the true doctrines. By true doctrines he, of course, meant the teachings of the prophets and Jesus. True doctrines or not, the Roman official could only tolerate Justin's stubbornness for a short while. Now elderly, the faithful philosopher and several of his Christian friends courageously held to their faith. The Roman prefect finally lost his patience and ordered them to be scourged and beheaded.

We gain much from Justin's story. He represents a life at the pinnacle of society and learning, but who accepted the gospel truth. He was able to use his talents for God's kingdom, yet his most effective witness came at his trial. Here his beliefs were put to the test. As Christ strengthens us, we too shall be able to stand amid life's trials.

The philosopher asks, why? The child of God says, Here I am, Send me. Thank you for listening to Great in God's Sight, a podcast by GYC Southeast. We hope you have enjoyed this adventure through time and pray it serves to deepen your relationship with God. Each episode aims to draw insight from the life of 1 individual.

While we strive to bring you a unique perspective on each believer, we encourage you to use your God-given curiosity to explore these topics for yourself. Please remember to hit the subscribe button and share this episode with your friends via text or social media. You never know who might be encouraged! Until next time, We wish you God's blessing as you seek to be great in His sight too.

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Great in God's Sight Season 1

Justin Martyr: Philosopher to Child of God

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Parent Series

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Other Teachings in Series

John: the Soul that Knows its Worth

11m

Polycarp: Eighty-Six Years

8m

Justin Martyr: Philosopher to Child of God

11m

Patrick: Unlikely Freedom

10m

Thomas: The Other Half of Faith

9m

Columba: The Dove of Scotland

10m

Jerome, Cyril, and Methodius: Bibles for East and West

10m

William Wilberforce, Part 1: The Great Change

12m

William Wilberforce, Part 2: The Great Cause

13m

Mark: One Young Man

10m

Sound Doctrine