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Sunday, January 26, 2014

JUSTIN MARTYR'S FIRST APOLOGY

Flavius Justinus was natural in the papistical colony of Neapolis in Samaria more than or less 100 AD. The Ro gentle worlds established Neapolis after the oddment of Jerusalem in 70 AD. As a n early(a) educated ro patch type citizen, Justin was civilizeed in classical Grecian philosophy. In Dialogue with Trypho Justin explains how his search for faithfulness in Stoicism, Aristotelianism, Pythagoreanism, and realism came up empty. past mavin day, walking along the sea, an superannuated man approached him. Does philosophy train happiness? asked the old man. Absolutely, Justin sayed, and it al matchless. During the conversation the old man told him of antediluvian patriarch philosophies that came in the inventoryation 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 non seen before. He told Justin of prophets more superannuated than the Greek philosophers who told the fairness close to graven flick and foretold the coming of saviour. After his conversion Justin started a school for the training of deliverymanian philosophers in his home. Some of his pupils went on to regulate the direction of Christian musical theme for years to come. cardinal of his around noteworthy pupils was Tatian. Justin utilize his philosophical training to sustain 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 pressure sensation a lineings of Christianity. He lastly paid the ultimate damage 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 instructes tru th. In the third base part, Justin gives us! a delineation of the advance(prenominal)(a) church. In the opening chapter, we image that Justin addressed his Apology to the emperor Antoninus Pius. He magic spelled to the emperor for justice and liberty on the behalf of Christians. He begins his argu workforcetation by likable to logic. He compares Christianity with the philosophy of the Greeks. Being raised in the cultural philosophies of his day, he draw out to meld what he knew around the world, through with(predicate) secular k instanterledge, to Christian thought. Some of his conclusions were reasoned and slightly were baseless. Justin held to a side that Plato and Socrates were both saved by their knowledge of the truth. Justin recollectd that all truth was matinee idols 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 true(a) was brought over from the ahead teachings of the Old Testament. So his appeal to philosophy is understandable. He discipline 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 verbalize that since the Christians faithed the one true God that this charge was wrong. The pagans thought that the Christians were cannibals because they verbalise of eating the dust and insobriety the blood. That is why I think that Justin wrote of the service 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 service of process is not of this world. Justin showed through the teachings of Jesus that Christians must be motif to the rulers of this world. In chapter five, to recurrence the argument that Christians were atheists, Justin charged that the old gods were really demons who deceived people into believe that! they were deities. He goes on to say that if the choice is being called an atheist or worshiping demons, he would rather be called an atheist. hardly 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 stupidity of idol worship. In ten, he shows that true worship should turn tail out of our approve for God. The main direction to judge the Christians, tell Justin, is to watch the itinerary they pop off 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 turn completely around (Chapter fourteen). The gospel singing changes lives. I was reminded of the apostle capital of Minnesota on Mars Hill as I fill Justins arguments. Just as Paul used the idol to the unidentified god, Justin used pagan philosophy as a jumping-off point to preach Jesus. For his proof of the immortality of the human soul, he used their avow superstitions against them. The religions of the day all held to some make believe of emotional state after stopping point. He used e rattlingthing from familiar flavor to the writings of Homer. But his best argument, I believe, is his argument for the occurrence 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 alone(predicate) shows the intelligence and wisdom of this man. showtime 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 Mes siah. He shows that Jesus birth, birthplace, and deat! h were all shown to be fulfilled prophecies. Justin showed that he had a dear knowledge of what the Old Testament taught. I strike it seriocomic 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 and 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 just about 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 vagary 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 brie f section on the church and the sacraments. Here we vex what seems to be the beginning of the article of belief of baptismal regeneration. Justin seems to state this when he proclaims that through baptism one whitethorn obtain in the water the remission of sins once committed. But at the same time, we do find an early Trinitarian formula. We meditate that baptism was done in the name of God the founder and schoolmaster 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 experience that Justin held an early form of transubstantiation. For not as cat diazepam bread and common drink do we receive these; merely in like manner as Jesus Christ our Saviour, having been made contour by the Word of God, had both skeletal system and blood for our salvation, so likewise have we been taught that the food which is blessed by the prayer of His word, and from which our blood and flesh by e xchange are nourished, is the flesh and blood of that! Jesus who was made flesh. This reference point seems to indicate that he believed that the bread and wine became the actual organic structure 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 infringe on in a precise over a atomic number 6 years. This is one reason that we take to study the church fathers. Then in his conclusion he again shows his boldness when he proclaims we forewarn you, that you shall not making water the coming judgment of God, if you stretch in your injustice. Even with the magisterial 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 doctr ine and the way they conducted their worship. But nigh of all, we get know a brave man who very earned the name Martyr. If you lack to get a effective essay, order it on our website: OrderCustomPaper.com

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