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

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 foreknown that these blasphemies would be spoken against those who confess Christ, and how wretched are they who blaspheme him and say it is good to keep the old customs, hear the things briefly spoken through Isaiah. And they are these: Woe to those who call the sweet bitter, and the bitter sweet. And that, having become man for our sakes, he endured to suffer and be dishonored, and will come again with glory, hear the prophecies spoken on this matter. And they are these: Because they delivered his soul to death, and he was numbered with the transgressors, he has taken up the sins of many and will make atonement for the lawless. For behold, my servant shall understand, and he shall be exalted and glorified exceedingly. As many shall be astonished at you, so shall your form be without honor from men, and your glory from men, so shall many nations marvel, and kings shall shut their mouths; for they to whom no report was brought concerning him, and they who have not heard, shall understand. Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? We announced before him as a child, as a root in thirsty ground. He has no form nor glory; and we saw him, and he had no form nor beauty, but his form was dishonored and lacking beyond that of men. A man being in affliction, and knowing how to bear sickness, because his face was turned away, he was dishonored, and not esteemed. This one bears our sins and is pained for us, and we accounted him to be in trouble and in affliction and in distress. But he was wounded for our transgressions and has been made sick for our sins; the chastisement of our peace was upon him, by his stripe we were healed. We all went astray like sheep, each man went astray in his own way; and he delivered him for our sins, and he, because of his affliction, does not open his mouth. He was led as a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he does not open his mouth. In his humiliation his judgment was taken away. Therefore, after he was crucified, even all his acquaintances stood aloof, having denied him; but later, when he had risen from the dead and app

δωκαν, πληρωθέντες χαρᾶς καὶ πίστεως τοῖς εἰδώλοις ἀπετά ξαντο καὶ τῷ ἀγεννήτῳ θεῷ διὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἑαυτοὺς ἀνέθηκαν. ὅτι δὲ προεγινώσκετο τὰ δύσφημα ταῦτα λεχθησό μενα κατὰ τῶν τὸν Χριστὸν ὁμολογούντων, καὶ ὡς εἶεν τάλανες οἱ δυσφημοῦντες αὐτὸν καὶ τὰ παλαιὰ ἔθη καλὸν εἶναι τηρεῖν λέγοντες, ἀκούσατε τῶν βραχυεπῶς εἰρημένων διὰ Ἠσαίου. ἔστι δὲ ταῦτα· Oὐαὶ τοῖς λέγουσι τὸ γλυκὺ πικρὸν καὶ τὸ πικρὸν γλυκύ. Ὅτι δὲ καὶ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν γενόμενος ἄνθρωπος πα θεῖν καὶ ἀτιμασθῆναι ὑπέμεινε, καὶ πάλιν μετὰ δόξης παρα γενήσεται, ἀκούσατε τῶν εἰρημένων εἰς τοῦτο προφητειῶν. ἔστι δὲ ταῦτα· Ἀνθ' ὧν παρέδωκαν εἰς θανάτον τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ, καὶ μετὰ τῶν ἀνόμων ἐλογίσθη, αὐτὸς ἁμαρτίας πολλῶν εἴληφε καὶ τοῖς ἀνόμοις ἐξιλάσεται. ἴδε γὰρ συνήσει ὁ παῖς μου, καὶ ὑψωθήσεται καὶ δοξασθήσεται σφόδρα. ὃν τρόπον ἐκστήσονται πολλοὶ ἐπὶ σέ, οὕτως ἀδοξήσει ἀπὸ ἀνθρώπων τὸ εἶδός σου καὶ ἡ δόξα σου ἀπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, οὕτως θαυμά σονται ἔθνη πολλά, καὶ συνέξουσι βασιλεῖς τὸ στόμα αὐτῶν· ὅτι οἷς οὐκ ἀνηγγέλη περὶ αὐτοῦ, καὶ οἳ οὐκ ἀκηκόασι συνή σουσι. κύριε, τίς ἐπίστευσε τῇ ἀκοῇ ἡμῶν; καὶ ὁ βραχίων κυρίου τίνι ἀπεκαλύφθη; ἀνηγγείλαμεν ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ ὡς παι δίον, ὡς ·ίζα ἐν γῇ διψώσῃ. οὐκ ἔστιν εἶδος αὐτῷ οὐδὲ δόξα· καὶ εἴδομεν αὐτόν, καὶ οὐκ εἶχεν εἶδος οὐδὲ κάλλος, ἀλλὰ τὸ εἶδος αὐτοῦ ἄτιμον καὶ ἐκλεῖπον παρὰ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους. ἄνθρωπος ἐν πληγῇ ὢν καὶ εἰδὼς φέρειν μαλακίαν, ὅτι ἀπέστραπται τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ, ἠτιμάσθη καὶ οὐκ ἐλογίσθη. οὗτος τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν φέρει καὶ περὶ ἡμῶν ὀδυνᾶται, καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐλογισάμεθα αὐτὸν εἶναι ἐν πόνῳ καὶ ἐν πληγῇ καὶ ἐν κακώσει. αὐτὸς δὲ ἐτραυματίσθη διὰ τὰς ἀνο μίας ἡμῶν καὶ μεμαλάκισται διὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν· παιδεία εἰρήνης ἐπ' αὐτόν, τῷ μώλωπι αὐτοῦ ἡμεῖς ἰάθημεν. πάντες ὡς πρόβατα ἐπλανήθημεν, ἄνθρωπος τῇ ὁδῷ αὐτοῦ ἐπλανήθη· καὶ παρέδωκεν αὐτὸν ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις ἡμῶν, καὶ αὐτὸς διὰ τὸ κεκακῶσθαι οὐκ ἀνοίγει τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ· ὡς πρόβατον ἐπὶ σφαγὴν ἤχθη, καὶ ὡς ἀμνὸς ἐναντίον τοῦ κείροντος αὐτὸν ἄφωνος, οὕτως οὐκ ἀνοίγει τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ. ἐν τῇ ταπει νώσει αὐτοῦ ἡ κρίσις αὐτοῦ ἤρθη. μετὰ οὖν τὸ σταυρω θῆναι αὐτὸν καὶ οἱ γνώριμοι αὐτοῦ πάντες ἀπέστησαν, ἀρνη σάμενοι αὐτόν· ὕστερον δέ, ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναστάντος καὶ ὀφ