Ante-Nicene Fathers (Volume 1) (Available from Amazon or free here) - Read the First Apology of Justin Martyr.
Today we read the First Apology of Justin Martyr, which true to its name is a defence of the Christian faith. Justin aimed the writing at Roman rulers.
Justin defends Christianity by discussing:
(i) the use of reason to evaluate Christianity;
(ii) the profession of faith by Christians;
(iii) the foolishness of idol worship;
(iv) the teachings of Christ;
(v) the resurrection;
(vi) heathen analogies to Christian doctrine;
(vii) the morality of Christians;
(viii) the fulfilled prophecies of the Old Testament concerning Christ;
(ix) the work of demons;
(x) Christianity compared with Plato;
(xi) Christian church practices, including baptism and the Lord's Supper;
(xii) the conclusions of other Romans concerning Christianity.
I appreciated Justin's appeal to the morality of Christians as evidence of their superiority: 'But as for us, we have been taught that to expose newly-born children is the part of wicked men; and this we have been taught lest we should do any one an injury, and lest we should sin against God, first, because we see that almost all so exposed (not only the girls, but also the males) are brought up to prostitution. And as the ancients are said to have reared herds of oxen, or goats, or sheep, or grazing horses, so now we see you rear children only for this shameful use; and for this pollution a multitude of females and hermaphrodites, and those who commit unmentionable iniquities, are found in every nation. And you receive the hire of these, and duty and taxes from them, whom you ought to exterminate from your realm. And any one who uses such persons, besides the godless and infamous and impure intercourse, may possibly be having intercourse with his own child, or relative, or brother. And there are some who prostitute even their own children and wives, and some are openly mutilated for the purpose of sodomy; and they refer these mysteries to the mother of the gods, and along with each of those whom you esteem gods there is painted a serpent, a great symbol and mystery. Indeed, the things which you do openly and with applause, as if the divine light were overturned and extinguished, these you lay to our charge; which, in truth, does no harm to us who shrink from doing any such things, but only to those who do them and bear false witness against us. '
The compassion of Christians toward children through the ages is one of the great testimonies to the truth of Christianity.
And it continues to be the case today, particularly in regards to the unborn.
Next week's reading
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.
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