(Ἰουστῖνος), ecclesiastical.
1. Surnamed the MARTYR (ὁ Μάρτυς), or the PHILOSOPHER (ὁ Φιλόσοφος), one of the earliest of the Christian writers, was a native of Flavia Neapolis, or the New City of Flavia (Justin. Apolog. Prima, c. 1), which arose out of the ruins, and in the immediate vicinity of the ancient town, called Shechem in the Old Testament and Sychar in the New. The year of his birth is not known: Dodwell, Grabe (Spicileg. SS. Patrum, saec. ii. p. 147), and the Bollandists (Acta Sanctorum, April. vol. ii. p. 110, note c), conjecture from a passage of Epiphanius (Adv. Haeres. 46.1), which, as it now stands, is clearly erroneous, that he was born about A. D. 89; but this conjecture (which is adopted by Fabricius) is very uncertain, though sufficiently in accordance with the known facts of his history. Tillemnont and Ceillier place the birth of Justin in A. D. 103, Maran in A. D. 114, Halloix in A. D. 118. He was the son of Priscus Bacchius, or rather of Priscus, the son of Bacchius, and was brought up as a heathen; for though he calls himself a Samaritan (Apoloq. Secunda, 100.15, Dialog. cuma Tryphone, 100.120), he appears to mean no more than that he was born in the country of Samaria, not that he held that Semi-Judaism which was so prevalent among his countrymen. (Comp. Apolog. Prima, 100.53, sub med.) He devoted himself to philosophy, and for a considerable time studied the system of the Stoics, under a teacher of that sect; but not obtaining that knowledge of the Deity which he desired, and finding that his teacher undervalued such knowledge, he transferred himself to a Peripatetic, who plumed himself on his acuteness, whom, however, he soon left, being disgusted at his avarice, and therefore judging him not to be a philosopher at all. Still thirsting after philosophical acquirements, he next resorted to a Pythagorean teacher of considerable reputation, but was rejected by him, as not having the requisite preliminary acquaintance with the sciences of music, geometry, and astronomy. Though at first disheartened and mortified by his repulse, he determined to try the Platonists, and attended the instructions of an eminent teacher of his native town, under whom he became a proficient in the Platonic system. His mind was much puffed up by the study of incorporeal -existences, and especially by the Platonic doctrine of ideas, so that he soon conceived he had become wise; and so greatly were his expectations raised, that, says he," I foolishly hoped that I should soon behold the Deity." Under the influence of these notions he sought opportunities for solitary meditation; and one day, going to a lone place near the sea, he met with an
Whether Justin had lived wholly at Flavia Neapolis before his conversion is not quite clear: that it had been his chief place of abode we have every reason to believe. Otto conjectured, from a passage in his works (Cohortat. ad Graec. 100.13), that he had studied at Alexandria; but, from the circumstance that while in that city he had seen with interest the remains of the cells built, according to the Jewish tradition, for the authors of the Septuagint version of the Old Testament, we are disposed to place his visit to Alexandria after his conversion. He appears to have had while yet a heathen an opportunity of seeing the firmness with which the Christians braved suffering and death (Apol. Secunda, 100.12), but we have no means of knowing where or on what occasion.
Justin retained as a Christian the garb of a philosopher, and devoted himself to the propagation, by writing and otherwise, of the faith which he had embraced. Tillemont argues from the language of Justin (Apolog. Prima, 100.61, 65) that he was a priest, but his inference is not borne out by the passage; and though approved by Maran, is rejected by Otto, Neander, and Semisch. That he visited many places, in order to diffuse the knowledge of the Christian religion, is probable (comp. Cohortat. ad Graec. cc. 13, 34), and he appears to have made the profession of a philosopher subservient to this purpose. (Dialog. cum Tryphon. init.; Euseb. Hist. Eccl. 4.11; Phot. Bibl. cod. 125.) According to what is commonly deemed the ancient record of his martyrdom (though Papebroche considers it to narrate the death of another Justin), he visited Rome twice. On his second visit he was apprehended, and brought before the tribunal of Rusticus, who held the office of praefectus urbi; and as he refused to offer sacrifice to the gods, he was sentenced to be scourged and beheaded; which sentence appears to have been immediately carried into effect. Several other persons suffered with him. Papebroche rejects this account of his martyrdom, and thinks his execution was secret, so that the date and manner of it were never known: the Greek Menaea (a. d. 1 Junii) state that he drank hemlock. His death is generally considered to have taken place in the persecution under the emperor Marcus Antoninus; and the Chronicon Paschale, (vol.i. p. 258, ed. Paris, 207, ed. Venice, 482, ed Bonn), which is followed by Tillemont, Baronius, Pagi, Otto, and other moderns, places it in the consulship of Orphitus and Pudens, A. D. 165; Dupin and Semisch place it in A. D. 166, Fleury in A. D. 167, and Tillemont and Maran in A. D. 168. Papebroche (Acta Sanctorum, April. vol. ii. p. 107), assigning the Apologia Secunda of Justin to the year 171, contends that he must have lived to or beyond that time. Dodwell, on the contrary, following the erroneous statement of Eusebius in his Chronicon, places his death in the reign of Antoninus Pius; and Epiphanius, according to the present reading of the passage already referred to, which is most likely corrupt, places it in the reign of the emperor Hadrian or Adrian, a manifest error, as the Apologia Prima is addressed to Antoninus Pius, the successor of Hadrian, and the second probably to Marcus Aurelius and L. Verus, who succeeded Antoninus. The death of Justin has been very commonly ascribed (comp. Tatian. contra Graecos, 100.19; Euseb. Hist. Eccl. 4.16, and Chron. Paschale), to the machinations of the Cynic philosopher Crescens. The enmity of Crescens, and Justin's apprehension of injury from him, are mentioned by Justin himself (Apolog. Secunda, 100.3); but that Crescens really had any concern in his death is very doubtful. [CRESCENS.] Justin has been canonized by the Eastern and Western churches: the Greeks celebrate his memory on the 1st June; the Latins on the 13th April. At Rome the church of S. Lorenzo without the walls, is believed to be the restingplace of his remains; but the church of the Jesuits at Eystadt, in Germany, claims to possess his body; there is, however, no reason to believe that either claim is well founded. The more common epithet added to the name of Justin by the ancients is that of " the philosopher " (Epiphan. l.c.; Euseb. Chironicon, lib. ii.; Hieronym. de Vir. Illust. c. xxiii.; Chron. Paschale, l.c.; Georgius Syncellus, pp. 350, 351, ed. Paris, p. 279, ed. Venice; Glycas, Annal. pars iii. p. 241, ed. Paris, 186, ed. Venice, 449, ed. Bonn); that of "the martyr," now in general use, is employed by Tertullian (Adv. Valent. 100.5), who calls him " philosophus et martyr; " by Photius (Biblioth. cod. 48, 125, 232), and by Joannes Damascenus (Sacra Parall. vol. ii. p. 754, ed. Lequien), who, like Tertullian, conjoins the two epithets.
In our notice of the works of Justin Martyr we adopt the classification of his recent editor, J. C. T. Otto, by whom they are divided into four classes.