St. Justin

Martyr

Feast Day - April 14

Justin, son of Priscus and of Greek extraction, was born at Flavia Neapolis in Syria. He was so possessed by love for philosophy that, in his search for truth, he enrolled in every philosophical school he could find. But in these he found nothing but fallacious wisdom, and, taught by enlightenment sent him from Heaven, he embraced the philosophy of the Christian faith. Thereafter he studied the books of Holy Scripture day and night and, when he had thus become learned in the supreme knowledge of Jesus Christ, he wrote many books to explain and to spread the Christian faith, among which his two “Apologies” are particularly well known.

When he had presented these to the emperors Antoninus the Just and his sons, and fought strenuously for the faith by disputations as well, he obtained a public edict from the princes to restrain the slaughter of Christians. But he himself was accused through the plotting of Crescens the Cynic, whose wicked ways he had criticized. He was taken prisoner by Crescens’ followers and brought before Rusticus the prefect. When he firmly held to his confession of the faith, he was condemned to death, and went to his rest crowned with the glory of martyrdom.  

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