Reading Through The Church Fathers - Justin Martyr

Greetings,

Reading Justin Martyr was very different from reading Clement or Ignatius. Clement and Ignatius seemed more interested in how the Church was run, what was taught and martyrdom. Justin Martyr seems to be more concerned with arguing for Christianity and discrediting paganism. Today I think we would call him 'Justin the Apologist'. In Dialogue of Justin: Philosopher and Martyr, with Trypho, a Jew, Justin has a Platonic dialogue (a near monologue compared to the Socratic tradition) with a Jew named Trypho telling him why the Old Testament proves Christ. Some of Justin's ideas are well thought out, others stretch symbolism a little far and even make claims that just can't be supported like in this passage:

"When the people," replied I, "waged war with Amalek, and the son of Nave (Nun) by name Jesus (Joshua), led the fight, Moses himself prayed to God, stretching out both hands, and Hur with Aaron supported them during the whole day, so that they might not hang down when he got wearied. For if he gave up any part of this sign, which was an imitation of the cross, the people were beaten, as is recorded in the writings of Moses; but if he remained in this form, Amalek was proportionally defeated, and he who prevailed prevailed by the cross. For it was not because Moses so prayed that the people were stronger, but because, while one who bore the name of Jesus (Joshua) was in the forefront of the battle, he himself made the sign of the cross. For who of you knows not that the prayer of one who accompanies it with lamentation and tears, with the body prostrate, or with bended knees, propitiates God most of all? But in such a manner neither he nor any other one, while sitting on a stone, prayed. Nor even the stone symbolized Christ, as I have shown. - emphasis mine +

So are we to believe that Joshua genuflecting on the battlefield was what carried the day? To say that Moses is a type of of the Cross (with arms stretched outward) who is supporting Joshua (whose name makes him a type of Christ, aka, Jesus without the anglicized spelling) in the battle against the Amalekites (as a type of Satan) is believable (and further attested in the ANF, see St. Cyprian) but he then wants us also to believe that Joshua is crossing himself and adds on - as a curious afterthought that the stone here does not symbolize Christ? Now it could be a corruption of the text by a pious monk to protect Petrine Primacy but I don't have the manuscript evidence in front of me to say that for certain - call it a 'gut feeling'. I don't think the stone represents Christ here either so I can only assume this was said to deflect other allegorists from invoking passages like 1 Corinthians 10:4, Ephesians 2:20, 1 Peter 2:5, etc.

Justin can be hard to follow at times. He uses run-on sentences (or at least his translators did) and he can be repetitive, redundant and duplicative. That said, Justin was a man of expansive learning who tried to give an answer for everything, as the Bible says,

be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you - 1 Peter 3:15b

Answers for things like:

Chapter XX.-Why Choice of Meats Was Prescribed.

Chapter XXVII.-Why God Taught the Same Things by the Prophets as by Moses.

Chapter LIV.-What the Blood of the Grape Signifies.

After Justin finishes making his lengthy case for Christianity and against early Rabbinic Judaism he takes on the Greek world at shorter length but no less zeal in Justin's Hortatory Address to the Greeks in which he makes some interesting points. He contends that the gods of the Greek classical poets are not worthy of worship - they live lives of vice and violence. He 2ndly deals with the Greek philosophers and demonstrates how they conflict with one another (Pythagoras & Epicurus, Plato & Aristotle) in theory and even within themselves (Plato).

Surprisingly then, he validates the Bible by demonstrating that the poets and philosophers received some of their better ideas from the Bible, particularly from Moses! It takes a special kind of chutzpah to argue the way Justin did!

I particularly enjoyed some of the shorter writings such as the Other Fragments from the Lost Writings of Justin which contained some of his more aphoristic saying that were preserved in the writings of others. Here are a few:

VII. We shall not injure God by remaining ignorant of Him, but shall deprive ourselves of His friendship.

XIV. Neither shall light ever be darkness as long as light exists, nor shall the truth of the things pertaining to us be controverted. For truth is that than which nothing is more powerful. Every one who might speak the truth, and speaks it not, shall be judged by God.

XVI. Sound doctrine does not enter into the hard and disobedient heart; but, as if beaten back, enters anew into itself. XVII. As the good of the body is health, so the good of the soul is knowledge, which is indeed a kind of health of soul, by which a likeness to God is attained.

XVIII. To yield and give way to our passions is the lowest slavery, even as to rule over them is the only liberty.

Justin like many of his contemporary fellow-believers wanted to be freed from the corrupt world that was round-about them. 'Roman Civilization' meant the Circus Maximus, vomitoriums, legalized prostitution, infanticide, abortion, militarism - but really good roads! A pastoral faith of brotherhood, gentility and peace must have been extremely attractive, especially for anyone who felt 'trapped' by the vulgarity, efficiency & bellicosity of the Roman Empire. Justin was clearly a man who knew the Scriptures and understood the times he lived in and brought the full weight and power of his keen intellect to bear upon bringing down the vain facade of Rome and raising the Cross of Christ in it's place.

Dear God, thank-you for raising up men like Justin Martyr to speak truth to power, the power of the flesh, the devil and the world which hates Your Holy Law and despises Your Son and His Blessed Gospel.

Help us O LORD to be more like Justin and especially Your Son so that we might Glorify You to our neighbors in the unbelieving world and help rescue those who dwell in the kingdom of darkness and bring them into the kingdom of thy beloved Son, Jesus Christ our LORD who lives and reigns together with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, forever and ever, Amen.