Of the same holy Justin, Philosopher and Martyr

Apology on behalf of the Christians

to the Roman Senate. And the events of yesterday and the day before in your city under Urbicus, O Romans, and the things done irrationally in like manner everywhere by the governors have compelled me, for your own sakes, since you are men of like passions and brothers, even if you are ignorant of it and unwilling because of the glory of your supposed dignities, to compose this address. For everywhere, whoever is being corrected by a father or neighbor or child or friend or brother or husband or wife for any fault, except for those who have been persuaded that the unjust and intemperate will be punished in eternal fire, but that the virtuous and those who have lived like Christ will be with God in a state free from suffering (we speak of those who have become Christians), because of their stubbornness and love of pleasure and being hard to move toward what is good, and the wicked demons, who are hostile to us and hold such judges as these as their subjects and worshippers, as if they were demon-possessed rulers, contrive to have us put to death. And that the cause of all that has happened under Urbicus may become plain to you, I will relate the facts. A certain woman was living with a profligate husband, she herself having been profligate before. But when she came to know the teachings of Christ, she herself became sober-minded and tried to persuade her husband to be sober-minded as well, referring to the teachings and declaring the punishment in eternal fire which will be for those who do not live soberly and with right reason. But he, persisting in the same debaucheries, alienated his wife by his actions. For the woman, henceforth considering it impious to share her bed with a husband who, against the law of nature and against what is right, sought means of pleasure from every source, wished to be separated from the marriage. And when she was importuned by her friends, who advised her to remain still, as there was hope that her husband might someday change, she forced herself to stay. But when her husband, having gone to Alexandria, was reported to be doing far worse things, so that she would not be a sharer in his unrighteous and impious acts by remaining in the marriage and continuing to share his life and bed, she gave him what you call a bill of divorcement and was separated. But this fine and noble husband of hers, when he ought

Τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἁγίου Ἰουστίνον Φιλοσόφου καὶ Μάρτυρος

Ἀπολογία ὑπὲρ Χριστιανῶν

πρὸς τὴν Ῥωμαίων Σύγκλητον. Καὶ τὰ χθὲς δὲ καὶ πρώην ἐν τῇ πόλει ὑμῶν γενόμενα ἐπὶ Oὐρβίκου, ὦ Ῥωμαῖοι, καὶ τὰ πανταχοῦ ὁμοίως ὑπὸ τῶν ἡγουμένων ἀλόγως πραττόμενα ἐξηνάγκασέ με ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν, ὁμοιοπαθῶν ὄντων καὶ ἀδελφῶν, κἂν ἀγνοῆτε καὶ μὴ θέλητε διὰ τὴν δόξαν τῶν νομιζομένων ἀξιωμάτων, τὴν τῶνδε τῶν λόγων σύνταξιν ποιήσασθαι. πανταχοῦ γὰρ, ὃς ἂν σωφρονίζηται ὑπὸ πατρὸς ἢ γείτονος ἢ τέκνου ἢ φίλου ἢ ἀδελφοῦ ἢ ἀνδρὸς ἢ γυναικὸς κατ' ἔλλειψιν, χωρὶς τῶν πεισθέν των τοὺς ἀδίκους καὶ ἀκολάστους ἐν αἰωνίῳ πυρὶ κολασθή σεσθαι, τοὺς δ' ἐναρέτους καὶ ὁμοίως Χριστῷ βιώσαντας ἐν ἀπαθείᾳ συγγενέσθαι τῷ θεῷ (λέγομεν δὲ τῶν γενομένων Χριστιανῶν), διὰ τὸ δυσμετάθετον καὶ φιλήδονον καὶ δυσκίνητον πρὸς τὸ καλὸν ὁρμῆσαι, καὶ οἱ φαῦλοι δαίμονες, ἐχθραίνοντες ἡμῖν καὶ τοὺς τοιούτους δικαστὰς ἔχοντες ὑποχει ρίους καὶ λατρεύοντας, ὡς οὖν ἄρχοντας δαιμονιῶντας, φονεύειν ἡμᾶς παρασκευάζουσιν. ὅπως δὲ καὶ ἡ αἰτία τοῦ παντὸς γενομένου ἐπὶ Oὐρβίκου φανερὰ ὑμῖν γένηται, τὰ πεπραγμένα ἀπαγγελῶ. Γυνή τις συνεβίου ἀνδρὶ ἀκολασταίνοντι, ἀκολασταί νουσα καὶ αὐτὴ πρότερον. ἐπεὶ δὲ τὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ διδάγ ματα ἔγνω, αὐτὴ ἐσωφρονίσθη καὶ τὸν ἄνδρα ὁμοίως σω φρονεῖν πείθειν ἐπειρᾶτο, τὰ διδάγματα ἀναφέρουσα, τήν τε μέλλουσαν τοῖς οὐ σωφρόνως καὶ μετὰ λόγου ὀρθοῦ βιοῦσιν ἔσεσθαι ἐν αἰωνίῳ πυρὶ κόλασιν ἀπαγγέλλουσα. ὁ δὲ ταῖς αὐταῖς ἀσελγείαις ἐπιμένων ἀλλοτρίαν διὰ τῶν πράξεων ἐποιεῖτο τὴν γαμετήν. ἀσεβὲς γὰρ ἡγουμένη τὸ λοιπὸν ἡ γυνὴ συγκα τακλίνεσθαι ἀνδρί, παρὰ τὸν τῆς φύσεως νόμον καὶ παρὰ τὸ δίκαιον πόρους ἡδονῆς ἐκ παντὸς πειρωμένῳ ποιεῖσθαι, τῆς συ ζυγίας χωρισθῆναι ἐβουλήθη. καὶ ἐπειδὴ ἐξεδυσωπεῖτο ὑπὸ τῶν αὐτῆς, ἔτι προσμένειν συμβουλευόντων, ὡς εἰς ἐλπίδα με ταβολῆς ἥξοντός ποτε τοῦ ἀνδρός, βιαζομένη ἑαυτὴν ἐπέμενεν. ἐπειδὴ δὲ ὁ ταύτης ἀνὴρ εἰς τὴν Ἀλεξάνδρειαν πορευθεὶς χα λεπώτερα πράττειν ἀπηγγέλθη, ὅπως μὴ κοινωνὸς τῶν ἀδικημά των καὶ ἀσεβημάτων γένηται, μένουσα ἐν τῇ συζυγίᾳ καὶ ὁμο δίαιτος καὶ ὁμόκοιτος γινομένη, τὸ λεγόμενον παρ' ὑμῖν ·επού διον δοῦσα ἐχωρίσθη. ὁ δὲ καλὸς κἀγαθὸς ταύτης ἀνήρ, δέον