Lecture 3: Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, & the Defense of the Christian Faith

Question 1

When is the time of the early Church Apologists, what is going on, and what do they contribute?

Answer 1

1. Beginning to middle 2nd Century
2. By this time there is a shift from the Apostolic Fathers to the Early Church Apologists
3. They begin to in some ways systematize theology as they respond to objections about Christianity.
4. Roman Empire sees Christianity as a threat
5. Heresy like Gnosticism and other start to grow
6. Lack of church leadership

Question 2

What does Apologia mean?

Answer 2

1. Greek for defense

Question 3

What is Justin Martyr’s (c. 100–165) background?

Answer 3

1. Appears to have grown up in a pagan Gentile family
2. Received a Greek education filled with philosophy
3. He grew up in the land of the Bible, but educated in Greco-Roman ways (best equipped to fill the gap between Judaism and paganism)
4. Saw himself essentially as a Christian platonist
5. He moves to the city of Ephesus. And here he is converted to Christianity.

Question 4

What is this from and what are Tweedales observations?

“A flame was kindled in my soul; and a love of the prophets, and of those
men who are friends of Christ, possessed me; and whilst revolving his words
in my mind, I found this philosophy alone to be safe and profitable. Thus,
and for this reason, I am a philosopher. Moreover, I would wish that all,
making a resolution similar to my own, do not keep themselves away from
the words of the Savior”

Answer 4

1. Dialogue with Trypho, chap. 8
2. (Tweedale observations)
   
   1. What it means to be a Christian is that there is an experiential conversion.
   2. Conversion involves a love for scripture.
   3. A love for Christ, produces a love for his people
   4. A love for Christ includes a love for the lost.

Question 5

What was up with Justin Martyr and his philosopher look? What did Eusebius say?

Answer 5

1. Saw himself not as an ivory Tower philosopher
2. Sees himself as an evangelist to Pagan Greek thinkers
3. In order to engage in this apologetic, endeavor, Justin would wear a Philosophers gown.
4. “Justin in philosophers, Garb served as an ambassador of the word of God.” - Eusebius
5. He would move to Rome where he would live near the Coliseum. And ultimately, he would develop his own training school for other apologists.

Question 6

What are Justin Martyr’s 3 famous books?

Answer 6

1. First Apology
2. Second Apology
3. Dialogue with Trypho

Question 7

What was Justin Martyr’s First Apology about and to who?

Answer 7

1. AD 153 or 154
2. Open letter to emperor Antony Pious and his two sons to reason with them concerning Christianity
3. Defense for Christians to be judged by the rulers on the basis of evidence and not hearsay
4. “I present this address and petition on behalf of those of all Nations who are unjustly hated and wantonly abused myself being one of them.”
5. He basically makes 3 arguements

Question 8

What are Justin Martyr’s 3 arguments in the First Apology?

Answer 8

1. Christians are not atheists
2. Christians are not immoral
3. Christians are not seditious

Question 9

What is this from and by whom? What was the message being conveyed?

“And we afterwards continually remind each other of these things. And the wealthy among us help the needy; and we always keep together; and for all things wherewith we are supplied, we bless the Maker of all through His Son Jesus Christ, and through the Holy Ghost. And on the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as time permits; then, when the reader has ceased, the president verbally instructs, and exhorts to the imitation of these good things. Then we all rise together and pray, and, as we before said, when our prayer is ended, bread and wine and water are brought, and the president in like manner offers prayers and thanksgivings, according to his ability, and the people assent, saying Amen; and there is a distribution to each, and a participation of that over which thanks have been given, and to those
who are absent a portion is sent by the deacons. And they who are well to do, and willing, give what each thinks fit; and what is collected is deposited with the president, who succours the orphans and widows and those who, through sickness or any other cause, are in want, and those who are in bonds and the strangers sojourning among us, and in a word takes care of all who are in need. But Sunday is the day on which we all hold our common assembly, because it is the first day on which God, having wrought a change in the darkness and matter, made the world; and Jesus Christ our Saviour on the same day rose from the dead. For He was crucified on the day before that of Saturn (Saturday); and on the day after that of Saturn, which is the day of the Sun, having appeared to His apostles and disciples, He taught them these things, which we have submitted to you also for your consideration” (First Apology, chap. 67).

Answer 9

1. Justin makes a defense for the good Christianity does for society and the Roman Empire.
2. Christianity is old and thus better
3. The difference between Christianity and paganism is that Christianity is embedded in reality and historical fact.

Question 10

Discuss Justin Martyr - Second Apology

Answer 10

1. Three Christians are beheaded for confessing their faith
2. Written right after the first around 154 A.D.
3. Focuses on 2 more objections to Christianity
   
   1. Why does it seem like Christians are fascinated with martyrdom?
      
      1. We are to live in order to call people to Jesus
   2. Why does God allow bad things to happen to his people?
      
      1. Justin here is a little weird. On the one hand, he tends to blame fallen angels for suffering in the world. He also develops this idea that God allows for suffering in order to discipline his children.
      2. And he uses martyrdom as an apologetic, to explain the validity of Christianity. The only explanation for martyrdom. Is that Christianity is true?

Question 11

Discuss Justin Martyr Dialogue with Trypho

Answer 11

1. A defense of Christianity Against Judaism
2. 2 Discussion with Trypho who is a Jew
3. Trypho asks about his philosopher’s gown and is disappointed to find out he’s actually a follower of Jesus
4. Trypho believed that Christians could not be righteous because they did not follow the Mosaic law.
5. Justin says that Trypho misunderstands the law and interprets it carnally and not spiritually.
6. Justin begins one of the earliest statements of Christological hermeneutics in the early church.

Question 12

The Challenge of the Old Testament

Answer 12

1. The precise relationship between Christ in the Old Testament has long plagued interpreters
2. “since early in the history of the Christian Church, The Old Testament has posed the chief exegetical problem to Biblicall interpreters.” - Heiko Oberman
3. Is the Old Testament, Christian scripture?

Question 13

What is Oskar Skarsaune, Proof from Prophecy? What did it discuss?

Answer 13

1. Looks at Justin Martyr’s Dialogue with Trypho as a basic hermeneutic for explaining the Old Testament Christologically - he calls proof from prophecy.
2. 3 Types of Old Testament Exegesis
   
   1. Proof from Prophecy - demonstrates Jesus is Messiah from the Old Testament
   2. Paraenetic Homily - when people draw ethical principles from the Old Testament from moral, exhortation and application
   3. Biblical Antiquities -the Old Testament is older and thus of greater value.

Question 14

Who was Irenaeus of Lyons (130–202) and what was he known for?

Answer 14

1. Grew up in Smyrna in Asia Minor where he met Polycarp.
   
   1. Clear line from John -> Polycarp -> Irenaeus
2. Known for two books
   
   1. Against Heresies
      
      1. • attempts to formulate Christian theology in a systematic way
   2. The Demonstration of the Apostolic Preaching
      
      1. • discovered about 100 years ago in 1904 and attempted to summarize all the scripture in terms of the Christian message.

Question 15

Four Contributions From the Two Books of Irenaeus of Lyons

Answer 15

1. The first 3 are from Against Heresies
   
   1. Rejection of Gnosticism
   2. Importance of the Incarnation
   3. The Development of Covenant Theology
   4. The Nature of Heresy - Mentioned in both books

Question 16

What are Ferguson’s observations of Justin Martyr?

Answer 16

1. Ferguson says,
   
   1. martyr embodies the two Christian responses to persecution
      
      1. apologetics
      2. martyrdom.