Justin Martyr
BIOGRAPHY
Justin Martyr (Greek: Ἰουστῖνος ὁ Μάρτυς, Ioustînos ho Mártys; c. AD 100 – c. AD 165), also known as Justin the Philosopher, was an early Christian apologist and philosopher.
Although most of his works have been lost, two apologies and a dialogue have survived. His First Apology, his most renowned text, passionately defends the moral integrity of the Christian life and presents various ethical and philosophical arguments aimed at persuading the Roman emperor Antoninus Pius to cease persecuting the Church. In this work, Justin also introduces the idea, later echoed by St. Augustine, that the "true religion" revealed through Christianity had already been foreshadowed in history. He suggests that the "seeds of Christianity" — the Logos acting throughout history — predated Christ's incarnation, allowing him to consider many ancient Greek philosophers, including Socrates and Plato, as unknowing Christians due to their alignment with Christian truths.
Justin was martyred, along with some of his students, for his faith and is venerated as a saint by the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Oriental Orthodox Churches, Lutheran Churches, and in Anglicanism.