The Apology of Saint Justin on behalf of the Christians

 to remain. It is therefore our task to provide to all the examination both of our life and of our teachings, so that on behalf of those who think to b

 to do no wrong nor to hold these godless opinions, you do not examine the charges, but driven by irrational passion and the scourge of wicked demons,

 not as a Christian but if anyone is found to be unconvicted, let him be acquitted as a Christian who has done no wrong. For we will not ask you to pu

 and to think or say that men are guardians of gods. But we have been taught that God has no need of material offerings from men, seeing that He Himsel

 For they do not try to escape notice when doing wrong because of the laws and punishments laid down by you, but knowing that it is possible to escape

 of all resources for health, of the qualities of kinds of things and changes of seasons, and of being again in incorruption through faith in him, send

 to enter into the kingdom of heaven, than with two to be sent into the eternal fire. And: He who marries a woman divorced from another man commits adu

 and evil. Do not be anxious about what you shall eat or what you shall wear. Are you not more valuable than the birds and the beasts? And God feeds th

 he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. For whoever hears me and does what I say, hears the one who sent me. And many will say to me: Lord

 and the men who are seized by the souls of the dead and are thrown about, whom all call possessed by demons and mad, and the oracles spoken of among y

 And Sibyl and Hystaspes said that there would be a destruction of corruptible things by fire. And the so-called Stoic philosophers dogmatically assert

 to have come to Ganymede and the many women with whom he committed adultery, and to have accepted his children for doing the same things. But, as we s

 and rivers and mice and cats and crocodiles and most of the irrational animals, and not the same ones being honored by all, but different ones in diff

 saying. And a certain Marcion of Pontus, who is even now still teaching those who are persuaded by him to believe in some other god greater than the C

 Christ foretold. For indeed, God's persistence in not yet doing this has been for the sake of the human race for He foreknows some who are going to b

 sent to Herod, who was then ruling the Jews, asking that the books of the prophecies be sent to him. And King Herod sent them, written in their aforem

 his manifestation occurred, and you ruled the Jews and took possession of all their land. And He shall be the expectation of the nations was an indi

 was prophesied through Isaiah, listen. And it was spoken thus: Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bring forth a son, and they will speak

 of the registrations made under Cyrenius, your first procurator in Judaea. And how Christ after His birth was to be concealed from other men until He

 a being, but introducing the persons who are speaking. Not understanding this, the Jews who have the books of the prophets did not recognize Christ ev

 I arose, because the Lord helped me. And again when he says: They spoke with their lips, they shook their head, saying: Let him deliver himself. That

 In addition to these things, we have also considered it well and fitting to recall other words prophesied through this same David, from which you can

 to him with trembling. Lay hold of instruction, lest at any time the Lord be angry, and you perish from the righteous way, when his wrath is kindled q

 the human race has the power to choose what is good, it is not responsible for what is done in any way. But that by free choice it both does right and

 So that even Plato, when he said, 'The fault is of the one who chooses God is blameless,' said this, having taken it from Moses the prophet for Mose

 Jerusalem a prediction of the mighty Word, which His apostles, going forth from Jerusalem, preached everywhere, and, although death has been decreed a

 You bore these things and were silent and humbled us exceedingly. And that Jerusalem was made desolate, as it was foretold would happen, you are persu

 they gave, being filled with joy and faith, they renounced the idols and dedicated themselves to the unbegotten God through Christ. And that it was fo

 having been given to them to study also the prophecies, in which all these things were foretold as going to happen, having taught them, and when they

 He will clothe the worthy with incorruption, but the unjust he will send into the eternal fire with the evil demons in eternal sensation. And that the

 The Jewish and Samaritan tribe are called Israel and the house of Jacob. And as it was prophesied that those from the nations who believe would be mor

 accurately, but how, being deceived, they have imitated the things concerning our Christ, we shall make clear. Moses, then, the prophet, as we have sa

 The human form differs from that of the other irrational animals in nothing else than in its being erect and having the hands extended, and in its bea

 and of nothing else new, but of the same things being in this administration of which if even a year's satiety should seize those who have partaken,

 And what is physically described in Plato's Timaeus concerning the son of God, when he says, He placed him crosswise in the universe, he similarly s

 Then they are led by us to where there is water, and are born again in the manner of rebirth by which we ourselves were also born again for in the na

 And the demons, having learned from the things that happened to Moses, the aforementioned prophet, that those who worship are commanded the same thing

 he endured to suffer all that the demons worked against him, to be treated so by the foolish Jews. who, although it was plainly spoken in the writings

 not from intercourse, but, since they knew that God, having conceived it, made the world by the Word, they said that Athena was the first thought whi

 which the wicked demons have imitated and delivered to be performed in the mysteries of Mithras for that bread and a cup of water are set forth in th

 of Caesar Adrian, your father, having the right to demand of you as we thought fit to command that the judgments be made, not so much from the fact th

to him with trembling. Lay hold of instruction, lest at any time the Lord be angry, and you perish from the righteous way, when his wrath is kindled quickly. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him. And again through another prophecy the prophetic Spirit, signifying through David himself, that after being crucified Christ would reign, spoke thus: Sing to the Lord, all the earth, and declare his salvation from day to day; for the Lord is great and greatly to be praised, to be feared above all gods; for all the gods of the nations are idols of demons, but God made the heavens. glory and praise are before his face, and strength and boasting in the place of his sanctuary; give to the Lord, the Father of the ages, glory. Receive grace and enter into his presence and worship in his holy courts; let all the earth fear from his presence and be set right and not be moved. Let them rejoice among the nations; the Lord has reigned from the tree. But when the prophetic Spirit speaks of things that are to be as if they have already happened, as may be perceived also in the aforesaid words, so that it may not provide an excuse to those who read, we will also clarify this. It foretells things certainly known to be coming as if they had already come to pass; and that you must understand it thus, fix your mind on what is being said. David, fifteen hundred years before Christ became man and was crucified, spoke the aforementioned things, and no one who lived before him was crucified and gave joy to the nations, nor any of those after him. But our Jesus Christ was crucified and died and rose again, and reigned, having ascended into heaven, and there is joy for those who expect the incorruptibility promised by him in the things preached by him through the apostles in all the nations. But lest some should think from what we have said before that we say things happen by the necessity of fate, because they were foretold as foreknown, we will also resolve this. For having learned from the prophets that punishments and chastisements and good rewards are given according to the worth of the actions of each, we declare this to be true; since if this is not so, but all things happen by fate, then nothing is in our power at all; for if it is fated for one man to be good and another evil, then neither is the one acceptable nor the other blameworthy. And again, if not by free choice to shun the shameful and

αὐτῷ ἐν τρόμῳ. δράξασθε παιδείας, μή ποτε ὀργισθῇ κύριος, καὶ ἀπολεῖσθε ἐξ ὁδοῦ δικαίας, ὅταν ἐκκαυθῇ ἐν τάχει ὁ θυμὸς αὐτοῦ. μακάριοι πάντες οἱ πεποιθότες ἐπ' αὐτόν. Καὶ πάλιν δι' ἄλλης προφητείας μηνύον τὸ προ φητικὸν πνεῦμα δι' αὐτοῦ τοῦ ∆αυείδ, ὅτι μετὰ τὸ σταυρω θῆναι βασιλεύσει ὁ Χριστός, οὕτως εἶπεν· Ἄισατε τῷ κυρίῳ πᾶσα ἡ γῆ, καὶ ἀναγγείλατε ἡμέραν ἐξ ἡμέρας τὸ σωτήριον αὐτοῦ· ὅτι μέγας κύριος καὶ αἰνετὸς σφόδρα, φοβερὸς ὑπὲρ πάντας τοὺς θεούς· ὅτι πάντες οἱ θεοὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν εἴδωλα δαι μονίων εἰσίν, ὁ δὲ θεὸς τοὺς οὐρανοὺς ἐποίησε. δόξα καὶ αἶνος κατὰ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἰσχὺς καὶ καύχημα ἐν τόπῳ ἁγιάσματος αὐτοῦ· δότε τῷ κυρίῳ, τῷ πατρὶ τῶν αἰώνων, δόξαν. λάβετε χάριν καὶ εἰσέλθετε κατὰ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ καὶ προσκυ νήσατε ἐν αὐλαῖς ἁγίαις αὐτοῦ· φοβηθήτω ἀπὸ προσώπου αὐτοῦ πᾶσα ἡ γῆ καὶ κατορθωθήτω καὶ μὴ σαλευθήτω. εὐφραν θήτωσαν ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν· ὁ κύριος ἐβασίλευσεν ἀπὸ τοῦ ξύλου. Ὅταν δὲ τὸ προφητικὸν πνεῦμα τὰ μέλλοντα γίνεσ θαι ὡς ἤδη γενόμενα λέγῃ, ὡς καὶ ἐν τοῖς προειρημένοις δοξάσαι ἐστίν, ὅπως ἀπολογίαν μὴ παράσχῃ τοῖς ἐντυγχάνουσιν, καὶ τοῦτο διασαφήσομεν. τὰ πάντως ἐγνωσμένα γενησόμενα προ λέγει ὡς ἤδη γενόμενα· ὅτι δὲ οὕτως δεῖ ἐκδέχεσθαι, ἐνατενί σατε τῷ νοῒ τοῖς λεγομένοις. ∆αυεὶδ ἔτεσι χιλίοις καὶ πεντακοσίοις πρὶν ἢ Χριστὸν ἄνθρωπον γενόμενον σταυ ρωθῆναι τὰ προειρημένα ἔφη, καὶ οὐδεὶς τῶν πρὸ ἐκείνου γενο μένων σταυρωθεὶς εὐφροσύνην παρέσχε τοῖς ἔθνεσιν, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τῶν μετ' ἐκεῖνον. ὁ καθ' ἡμᾶς δὲ Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς σταυρω θεὶς καὶ ἀποθανὼν ἀνέστη, καὶ ἐβασίλευσεν ἀνελθὼν εἰς οὐ ρανόν, καὶ ἐπὶ τοῖς παρ' αὐτοῦ διὰ τῶν ἀποστόλων ἐν τοῖς πᾶσιν ἔθνεσι κηρυχθεῖσιν εὐφροσύνη ἐστὶ προσδοκώντων τὴν κατηγγελμένην ὑπ' αὐτοῦ ἀφθαρσίαν. Ὅπως δὲ μή τινες ἐκ τῶν προλελεγμένων ὑφ' ἡμῶν δοξάσωσι καθ' εἱμαρμένης ἀνάγκην φάσκειν ἡμᾶς τὰ γινόμενα γίνεσθαι, ἐκ τοῦ προειπεῖν προεγνωσμένα, καὶ τοῦτο διαλύ ομεν. τὰς τιμωρίας καὶ τὰς κολάσεις καὶ τὰς ἀγαθὰς ἀμοι βὰς κατ' ἀξίαν τῶν πράξεων ἑκάστου ἀποδίδοσθαι διὰ τῶν προ φητῶν μαθόντες καὶ ἀληθὲς ἀποφαινόμεθα· ἐπεὶ εἰ μὴ τοῦτό ἐστιν, ἀλλὰ καθ' εἱμαρμένην πάντα γίνεται, οὔτε τὸ ἐφ' ἡμῖν ἐστιν ὅλως· εἰ γὰρ εἵμαρται τόνδε τινὰ ἀγαθὸν εἶναι καὶ τόνδε φαῦλον, οὔθ' οὗτος ἀπόδεκτος οὐδὲ ἐκεῖνος μεμπτέος. καὶ αὖ εἰ μὴ προαιρέσει ἐλευθέρᾳ πρὸς τὸ φεύγειν τὰ αἰσχρὰ καὶ