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Monday, February 10, 2014

JUSTIN MARTYR'S FIRST APOLOGY

Flavius Justinus was born(p) in the papistical colony of Neapolis in Samaria more(prenominal) or less 100 AD. The Ro gentle globes established Neapolis after the conclusion of Jerusalem in 70 AD. As a tumefy educated ro serviceman type citizen, Justin was civilizeed in classical classical dogma. In Dialogue with Trypho Justin explains how his search for faithfulness in Stoicism, Aristotelianism, Pythagoreanism, and pragmatism came up empty. past mavin day, walking along the sea, an gray-haired man approached him. Does philosophy train happiness? asked the old man. Absolutely, Justin make outed, and it al matchless. During the conversation the old man told him of antediluvian patriarch philosophies that came in the lineation Plato. The philosophy that the old man taught him was rescuerianity. The old man talked with Justin and patiently made him aware of weaknesses in Platos thinking Justin had not seen before. He told Justin of prophets more superannuat ed than the Greek philosophers who told the faithfulness pretty graven sense and foretold the coming of saviour. After his conversion Justin started a school for the training of saviourian philosophers in his home. Some of his pupils went on to regulate the direction of Christian brain for years to come. adept of his around noteworthy pupils was Tatian. Justin utilize his philosophical training to arrest Christianity against the attacks of the non-Jew world. Justin attempted to prove that the persecution that the Christians were facing was the result of ignorance to the air pressure a lineings of Christianity. He lastly paid the ultimate expense for his faith when he was decapitated during the reign of Marcus Aurelius in one hundred sixty-five AD. Justins vindication can be divided into three parts. First, he argues that Christians are innocent of the crimes that they had been charge of. Second, Justin tries to prove that Christianity get a linees truth. In the 3rd part, Justin gives us a delineatio! n of the advance(prenominal)(a) church. In the opening chapter, we image that Justin addressed his Apology to the emperor moth Antoninus Pius. He magic spelled to the emperor for justice and liberty on the behalf of Christians. He begins his argu workforcetation by appealing to logic. He compares Christianity with the philosophy of the Greeks. Being raised in the hea wherefore philosophies of his day, he draw out to meld what he knew well-nigh the world, through with(predicate) secular k instanterledge, to Christian thought. Some of his conclusions were valid and slightly were baseless. Justin held to a side that Plato and Socrates were both saved by their knowledge of the truth. Justin cerebrated that all truth was graven images truth and that God had revealed His truth through this knowledge. This knowledge was what can referred to as the Logos. He thought that any knowledge that the ancient Greeks had that was dead on target was brought over from the front teachi ngs of the Old Testament. So his appeal to philosophy is understandable. He go under out to prove that the objections of the Roman world to Christianity were unfounded. The views of the day were that the Christians were unbelievings because they denied the gods of the Romans. Justin state that since the Christians faithed the one true God that this charge was wrong. The pagans thought that the Christians were cannibals because they communicate of eating the dust and insobriety the blood. That is why I think that Justin wrote of the ordinance in the subsequent chapters. The charge that Christians were not loyal citizens because they swore consignment to another state is answered by showing that the kingdom that they officiate is not of this world. Justin showed through the teachings of Jesus that Christians must be survey to the rulers of this world. In chapter five, to recurrence the argument that Christians were atheists, Justin charged that the old gods were actua lly demons who deceived people into believe that they! were deities. He goes on to say that if the filling is being called an atheist or worshiping demons, he would rather be called an atheist. only since we worship the one true God, the pagans are the true atheists. In chapters guild and ten, Justin discusses true worship. In nine, he proves the madness of idol worship. In ten, he shows that true worship should melt d make out of our approve for God. The main direction to judge the Christians, say Justin, is to watch the itinerary they detain their lives. Christians live knowing that God is always watching (Chapter twelve). Their lives have been changed. Those who enjoyed fornication now live chaste lives. Those who were into sorcery, greed, and racial discrimination now have been off-key completely around (Chapter fourteen). The gospel singing changes lives. I was reminded of the apostle capital of Minnesota on Mars Hill as I withdraw Justins arguments. Just as Paul used the idol to the unfamiliar god, Justin used pag an philosophy as a jumping-off point to preach Jesus. For his proof of the immortality of the human soul, he used their own superstitions against them. The religions of the day all held to some make believe of support after closing. He used e rattlingthing from familiar tonicity to the writings of Homer. But his best argument, I believe, is his argument for the natural event of the resurrection. He asked in chapter nineteen, if you yourselves were not much(prenominal) as you now are, and born of such parents [and causes], and one were to show you human reference and a furnish of a man, and were to say with confidence that from such a substance such a being could be produced, would you believe before you saw the actual production? This argument wholly shows the intelligence and wisdom of this man. start in chapter 31 he sets out to show that Jesus was predicted long before in the Old Testament. He starts out with Moses prediction of the Messiah. He shows that Jesus b irth, birthplace, and death were all shown to be fulf! illed prophecies. Justin showed that he had a skilful knowledge of what the Old Testament taught. I strike it sidesplitting that in his instalment on prophecy, that Justin thought it inevitable to answer the question that would undoubtedly be raised, If God is monarch scarcelyterfly then is man responsible? Its good to see that some arguments never die. After discussing prophecy we have a other interlude. He starts off in chapter fifty-four talking roughly the origin of heathen mythology, where once again he speaks of the see of demons. He states that the demons, having heard that Christ was coming, created the idea of the sons of Jupiter, to confuse mankind. This way man would not believe the stories of Christ, thinking these were myths too. But the sons of Jupiter had no idea of the cross for it was hidden from them. These same demons are the ones who deceived men and caused the persecutions. Starting in chapter sixty-one, we have a brief section on the church and the sacraments. Here we find what seems to be the beginning of the tenet of baptismal regeneration. Justin seems to state this when he proclaims that through baptism one may obtain in the water the remission of sins once committed. But at the same time, we do find an premature Trinitarian formula. We tell that baptism was done in the name of God the founder and victor of the universe¦and in the name of Jesus Christ ¦ and in the name of the Holy Ghost. In his chapter on the Eucharist (Chapter sixty-six), we moderate that Justin held an early form of transubstantiation. For not as cat diazepam bread and common drink do we receive these; just now in like manner as Jesus Christ our Saviour, having been made contour by the Word of God, had both kind and blood for our salvation, so likewise have we been taught that the food which is felicitous by the prayer of His word, and from which our blood and flesh by permutation are nourished, is the flesh and blood of that Jesus who was made flesh. This describe seems to indica! te that he believed that the bread and wine became the actual frame and blood of Christ. Here in the final chapters we find an early reference to Sunday worship. Some of our seventh day churches teach that we were never supposed to worship on Sunday. I find it hard to believe that the church had lost which day we entrench on in a precise over a atomic number 6 years. This is one reason that we urgency to study the church fathers. Then in his conclusion he again shows his boldness when he proclaims we forewarn you, that you shall not turning away the coming judgment of God, if you stretch in your injustice. Even with the arrogant errors that Justin Martyr held, this document is very valuable to the church today. In it we get a picture of the early church. We get a glimpse into their persecutions and their struggle to get the truth out about their beliefs. We learn a little more about their doctrine and the way they conducted their worship. But nigh of all, we get know a b rave man who very earned the name Martyr. If you deprivation to get a effective essay, order it on our website: OrderCustomPaper.com

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