The Philosopher Who Defended a Dead Messiah
Imagine walking into a Roman courtroom in the 2nd century, where a Christian philosopher stands before the most powerful empire in the world. His goal? To convince the emperor that worshiping a crucified criminal is not only reasonable—but the highest form of truth.
This was the mission of Justin Martyr, an early Christian apologist who wrote two fiery defenses of Christianity, known as the First Apology and Second Apology, sometime between 155–165 CE. His writings are among the earliest attempts to make Christianity intellectually respectable—but were they genuine arguments, or just clever propaganda?
To Justin, Christianity wasn’t just another cult—it was the ultimate philosophy, superior to everything Rome had to offer. But his bold claims raise an unsettling question: was Justin defending history, or was he building a myth?
The First Apology: Christianity on Trial
Justin’s First Apology is a legal-style defense aimed at Emperor Antoninus Pius and the Roman Senate. He doesn’t beg for mercy; instead, he argues that Christians are being unjustly persecuted. His case relies on three main points:
Jesus Like Pagan Gods only Better
One of Justin’s most shocking claims is that Christianity is not that different from the myths Rome already believed. He compares Jesus to pagan deities like:
- Perseus – Born of a virgin (Danaë) impregnated by Zeus.
- Hercules – A divine son sent to save the world.
- Asclepius – A healer who could raise the dead.
Justin argues that these stories prepared the world for the truth of Christ. But his logic backfires—if Jesus is just another divine hero, how can we tell fact from fiction?
Demons Stole Christianity Before It Began
To explain why pagan myths resemble Christian doctrine, Justin introduces a wild idea: Satan copied Christianity before Jesus even showed up.
According to Justin, demons knew the true Christ was coming, so they planted similar stories in pagan religions to confuse people. In other words, if Jesus sounds like a myth—that’s part of the devil’s plan!
To a modern reader, this sounds absurdly convenient. If Christianity predated itself through demonic counterfeits, how can it ever be proven true?
The Romans Are Killing Their Best Citizens
Justin’s last argument is more grounded: Christians are loyal, law-abiding, and moral. He argues that Rome is persecuting people who refuse to lie, steal, or kill—while tolerating truly corrupt individuals.
This is where Justin makes his most dangerous claim:
- Christians are being executed not for crimes, but for the mere fact that they exist.
- Rome has no rational reason to fear Christianity—unless the truth itself is a threat.
With this, Justin moves from philosopher to revolutionary—a man accusing the empire of judicial murder.
The Second Apology: When Philosophy Fails
If Justin hoped his First Apology would make Christianity legally acceptable, he was dead wrong. Persecutions continued, and Christians were still being executed.
So he wrote the Second Apology, a harsher, more desperate attack on Roman corruption. This time, he wasn’t just arguing that Christianity was reasonable—he was calling out the empire as an agent of evil.
The Mythical Kingdom of Christianity
Justin shifts his focus from legal defense to a cosmic war:
- The world is ruled by demonic powers.
- Rome itself is a puppet of these forces.
- Christians belong to a higher kingdom, not of this world.
This introduces an unsettling idea: Justin isn’t defending a historical movement—he’s promoting a mystical reality, an invisible kingdom more real than Rome itself.
This idea would later fuel Gnosticism and other mystical Christian sects who saw the material world as a prison of deception.
Was Justin Defending History—or Inventing It?
Justin Martyr’s writings are some of the earliest recorded arguments for the historicity of Jesus. But ironically, they raise more doubts than they answer.
1. The Silence on the Gospels
Justin frequently quotes the Old Testament, but when it comes to Jesus, he rarely cites the Gospels by name. Instead, he refers to “memoirs of the apostles”—a vague phrase that leaves scholars wondering:
- Were the Gospels not yet written?
- Did Justin have access to different Jesus traditions?
- Was he deliberately avoiding contradictions?
2. The Mythicist Problem
Many mythicist scholars (who argue Jesus was a mythical figure) see Justin’s writings as proof that Jesus’ story was still being shaped in the 2nd century.
- If Jesus was a real, well-documented figure, why does Justin rely on pagan parallels and prophecy, rather than historical sources?
- His defense makes Jesus sound more like an idea than a person—just another divine archetype in a long list of god-men.
- If the best evidence for Jesus is pagan mythology, doesn’t that make him look less real, not more?
3. Gnostic Implications
Gnostics saw Christianity not as a historical event, but as a spiritual truth. Justin’s focus on demons, cosmic battles, and secret knowledge sounds suspiciously like Gnostic theology:
- The real Jesus wasn’t a crucified man, but a divine being revealing hidden truths.
- The material world is corrupt, and only secret knowledge (gnosis) can free us.
- Salvation isn’t about Jesus’ death—it’s about escaping the prison of deception.
Did Justin unknowingly preserve hints of an earlier, more mystical Christianity?
Justin’s Fate: Silence Before the Sword
For all his efforts, Justin Martyr failed to win over the Roman elite. Around 165 CE, he was arrested during the reign of Emperor Marcus Aurelius.
According to legend, he was given a choice:
Renounce Christ or die.
Justin, true to his title, chose martyrdom—a death that sealed his legacy, but not his arguments. His Apologies live on, still raising more questions than they answer.
Final Thoughts: The Trial of Christianity
Justin Martyr wasn’t just defending Jesus—he was crafting a new mythos, one that blurred the lines between history, philosophy, and theology.
- His arguments against paganism unintentionally made Jesus look like just another myth.
- His appeals to prophecy resemble mystical traditions more than historical records.
- His vision of Christianity laid the groundwork for both Orthodox and Gnostic thought.
So was Justin the first great defender of history’s most important figure?
Or was he one of the earliest architects of Christianity’s greatest myth?
References
- Justin Martyr, First Apology, Second Apology
- Bart Ehrman, How Jesus Became God
- Richard Carrier, On the Historicity of Jesus
- Elaine Pagels, The Gnostic Gospels
- David Litwa, How the Gospels Became History