Justin Martyr: First Apology

Isa. ix. 6 .

Isa. lxv. 2 , Isa. lviii. 2 .

Ps. xxii. 16 .

ἄκτων . These Acts of Pontius Pilate, or regular accounts of his procedure sent by Pilate to the Emperor Tiberius, are supposed to have been destroyed at an early period, possibly in consequence of the unanswerable appeals which the Christians constantly made to them. There exists a forgery in imitation of these Acts. See Trollope.

The reader will notice that these are not the words of Zephaniah, but of Zechariah (ix. 9), to whom also Justin himself refers them in the Dial. Tryph. , c. 53. [Might be corrected in the text, therefore, as a clerical slip of the pen.]

Zech. ix. 9 .

Isa. i. 3 . This quotation varies only in one word from that of the LXX.

Isa. lxvi. 1 .

Isa. i. 14 , Isa. lviii. 6 .

Isa. lxv. 2 .

Isa. l. 6 .

Ps. xxii. 18 , Ps. iii. 5 .

Ps. xxii. 7 .

Comp. Matt. xxvii. 39 .

Isa. ii. 3 .

Eurip., Hipp. , 608.

Ps. xix. 2 , etc. [Note how J. excuses himself for the apparent irrelevancy of some of his citations (cap. xxxv., note), though quite in the manner of Plato himself. These Scriptures were of novel interest, and was stimulating his readers to study the Septuagint.]

Ps. i. , Ps. ii.

Ps. xcvi. 1 , etc. This last clause, which is not extant in our copies, either of the LXX, or of the Hebrew, Justin charged the Jews with erasing. See Dial. Tryph. , c. 73. [Concerning the eighteen Jewish alterations, see Pearson on the Creed , art. iv. p. 335. Ed. London, 1824.]

A chronological error, whether of the copyist or of Justin himself cannot be known.

Or, “but were made so.” The words are, ἀλλὰ τοῦτο γενόμενος and the meaning of Justin is sufficiently clear.

Deut. xxx. 15, 19 .

Isa. i. 16 , etc.

Plato, Rep. x. [On this remarkable passage refer to Biog. Note above. See, also, brilliant note of the sophist De Maistre, Œuvres , ii. p. 105. Ed. Paris, 1853.]

[On the Orphica and Sibyllina, see Bull, Works, vol. vi. pp. 291–298.]

So, Thirlby, Otto, and Trollope seem all to understand the word κατέχειν ; yet it seems worth considering whether Justin has not borrowed both the sense and the word from 2 Thess. ii. 6, 7 .

Or, “before the morning star.”

Ps. cx. 1 , etc.

μετὰ λόγου , “with reason,” or “the Word.” [This remarkable passage on the salvability and accountability of the heathen is noteworthy. See, on St. Matt. xxv. 32 , Morsels of Criticism by the eccentric but thoughtful Ed. King, p. 341. London, 1788].

Isa. lxiv. 10–12 .

Isa. i. 7 .

[ Ad hominem , referring to the cruel decree of Hadrian, which the philosophic Antonines did not annul.]

Isa. xxxv. 6 .

Isa. lvii. 1 .

Isa. lxv. 1–3 .

Isa. v. 20 .

Isa. lii. 13–15 , Isa. liii. 1–8 .

Isa. liii. 8–12 .

Ps. xxiv. 7 .

This prophecy occurs not in Jeremiah, but in Dan. vii. 13 .

Dan. vii. 13 .

Ezek. xxxvii. 7, 8 ; Isa. xlv. 24 .

Isa. lxvi. 24 .

Zech. xii. 3–14 ; Isa. lxiii. 17 , Isa. lxiv. 11 .

Isa. liv. 1 .

Isa. i. 9 .

The following words are found, not in Isaiah, but in Jer. ix. 26 .

Gen. xlix. 10 .

In the ms. the reading is οἶνον (wine); but as Justin’s argument seems to require ὄνον (an ass), Sylburg inserted this latter word in his edition; and this reading is approved by Grabe and Thirlby, and adopted by Otto and Trollope. It may be added, that ἀναγράφουσι is much more suitable to ὄνον than to οἶνον .

Ps. xix. 5 .

From Lam. iv. 20 (Sept.).

[The Orientals delight in such refinements, but the “scandal of the cross” led the early Christians thus to retort upon the heathen; and the Labarum may have been the fruit of this very suggestion.]

[See cap. xxvi. above, and note p. 187, below.]

Comp. Deut. xxxii. 22 .

Literally, “that which is treated physiologically.”

He impressed him as a χιασμα , i.e., in the form of the letter χ upon the universe. Plato is speaking of the soul of the universe. [Timæus, Opp., vol. ix. p. 314. And see note of Langus (p. 37) on p. 113 of Grabe. Here crops out the Platonic philosopher speaking after the fashion of his contemporaries, perhaps to conciliate his sovereign. See Professor Jowett’s Introduction to the Timæus , which will aid the students.]

Num. xxi. 8 .

Τὰ δὲ τρίτα περὶ τὸν τρίτον .

Deut. xxxii. 22 .

John iii. 5 .

Chap. xliv.

Isa. i. 16–20 .

Thirlby conjectures that Justin here confused in his mind the histories of Moses and Jacob.

Isa. i. 3 .

Matt. xi. 27 .

Luke x. 16 .

Ex. iii. 6 .

Isa. i. 3 .

Matt. xi. 27 .

[Rather, “of your empire.”]

Ex. iii. 6 .

Chap. lix.

And therefore caused her to preside over the waters, as above.

The kiss of charity, the kiss of peace, or “the peace” ( ἡ εἰπήνη ), was enjoined by the Apostle Paul in his Epistles to the Corinthians, Thessalonians, and Romans, and thence passed into a common Christian usage. It was continued in the Western Church, under regulations to prevent its abuse, until the thirteenth century. Stanley remarks ( Corinthians , i. 414), “It is still continued in the worship of the Coptic Church.”

τῷ προεστῶτι τῶν ἀδελφῶν . This expression may quite legitimately be translated, “to that one of the brethren who was presiding.”

Literally, thanksgiving. See Matt. xxvi. 27 .

This passage is claimed alike by Calvinists, Lutherans, and Romanists; and, indeed, the language is so inexact, that each party may plausibly maintain that their own opinion is advocated by it. [But the same might be said of the words of our Lord himself; and, if such widely separated Christians can all adopt this passage, who can be sorry?] The expression, “the prayer of His word,” or of the word we have from Him, seems to signify the prayer pronounced over the elements, in imitation of our Lord’s thanksgiving before breaking the bread. [I must dissent from the opinion that the language is “inexact:” he expresses himself naturally as one who believes it is bread, but yet not “common bread.” So Gelasius, Bishop of Rome ( a.d. 490), “By the sacraments we are made partakers of the divine nature, and yet the substance and nature of bread and wine do not cease to be in them,” etc. (See original in Bingham’s Antiquities , book xv. cap. 5. See Chryost., Epist. ad. Cæsarium , tom. iii. p. 753. Ed. Migne.) Those desirous to pursue this inquiry will find the Patristic authorities in Historia Transubstantionis Papalis , etc., Edidit F. Meyrick, Oxford, 1858. The famous tractate of Ratranin ( a.d. 840) was published at Oxford, 1838, with the homily of Ælfric ( a.d. 960) in a cheap edition.]

Luke xxii. 19 .

τῇ τοῦ ῾Ηλίου λεγομένη ἡμέρᾳ .

ὅση δύναμις αὐτῷ, —a phrase over which there has been much contention, but which seems to admit of no other meaning than that given above. [No need of any “contention.” Langus renders, Pro virili suâ , and Grabe illustrates by reference to Apost. Const. , lib. viii. cap. 12. Our own learned translators render the same phrase (cap. xiii., above) “to the utmost of our power.” Some say this favours extemporary prayers, and others object. Oh! what matter either way? We all sing hymns, “according to our ability.”]

Or, of the eucharistic elements.

Addressed to Minucius Fundanus. [Generally credited as genuine.]

[Regarded as spurious.]

That is, if any one accuses a Christian merely on the ground of his being a Christian.

[Spurious, no doubt; but the literature of the subject is very rich. See text and notes, Milman’s Gibbon , vol. ii. 46.]

Literally, “fiery.”

[Note I. (See capp. xxvi. and lvi.) In 1851 I recognised this stone in the Vatican, and read it with emotion. I copied it, as follows: “ Semoni Sanco Deo Fidio Sacrvm Sex. Pompeius. S. P. F. Col. Mussianvs. Quinquennalis Decur Bidentalis Donum Dedit. ” The explanation is possibly this: Simon Magus was actually recognised as the God Semo , just as Barnabas and Paul were supposed to be Zeus and Hermes ( Acts xiv. 12 .), and were offered divine honours accordingly. Or the Samaritans may so have informed Justin on their understanding of this inscription, and with pride in the success of their countryman ( Acts viii. 10 .), whom they had recognised “as the great power of God.” See Orelli (No. 1860), Insc. , vol. i. 337. Note II. (The Thundering Legion.) The bas-relief on the column of Antonine, in Rome, is a very striking complement of the story, but an answer to prayer is not a miracle. I simply transcribe from the American Translation of Alzog’s Universal Church History the references there given to the Legio Fulminatrix : “Tertull., Apol., cap. 5; Ad Scap., cap. 4; Euseb., v. 5; Greg. Nyss. Or., II in Martyr.; Oros., vii. 15; Dio. Cass. Epit.: Xiphilin., lib. lxxi. cap. 8; Jul. Capitol, in Marc. Antonin., cap. 24.”]