Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 8.djvu/663

 JUSTIN

585

JUSTIN

erance and exaltation as did St. Paul (I Cor., vi, 11). He is careful, moreover, to emphasize, espe- cially from the Sermon on the Mount, the moral teach- ing of Christ so as to show in it the real source of these new virtues (I Apol., xv-xviii). Throughout his ex- pos(5 of the new religion it is Christian chastity and the courage of the martyrs that he most insists upon.

The rational evidences of Christianity Ju.stin finds especiallj' in the prophecies; he gives to this argument more than a third of his " Apology" (xxx-liii) and al- most the entire " Dialogue ". When he is disputing with the pagans he is satisfied with drawing attention to the fact that the books of the Prophets were long anterior to Christ, guaranteed as to their authenticity by the Jews themselves, and says that they contain prophe- cies concerning the life of Christ and the spread of the Church that can only be explained by a Divine revela- tion (I Apol., xxxi). In the "Dialogue", arguing with Jews, he can assume this revelation which they also recognize, and he can invoke the Scriptures as sacretl oracles. These evidences of the prophecies are for him absolutely certain. "Listen to the texts which I am about to cite; it is not necessary for me to comment upon them, but only for you to hear them" (Dial., liii; cf. I Apol., xxx, liii). Nevertheless he recognizes that Christ alone could have given the explanation of them (I Apol., xxxii ; Dial., Ixxvi; cv); to understand them the men and women of his time must have the interior dispositions that make the true Christian (Dial., cxii), i. e.. Divine grace is necessary (Dial., vii, Iviii, xcii, cxix). He also appeals to miracles (Dial., vii; xxxv; Ixix; cf. II Apol., vi), but with less insistence than to the prophecies.

Theology. — God. Justin's teaching concerning God has been very diversely interpreted, some seeing in it nothing but a philosophic speculation (Engel- hardt, 127 sq., 237 sqq.), others a truly Christian faith (Flemming, "Zur Beurteilung des Christentums Jus- tins des Martyrers", Leipzig, 1S93, 70 sqq.; Stahlin, "Justin der Martyrer und sein neuester Beurtheiler", 34 sqq., Purves, op. cit., 142 sqq.). In reality it is possible to find in it these two tendencies: on one side the influence of philosophy betrays itself in his con- cept of the Divine transcendency, thus Ciod is immov- able (I Apol., ix; x, 1 ; Ixiii, 1 ; etc.) ; He is above the heavens, can neither be seen nor enclosed within space (Dial., Ivi, Ix, cxxvii) ; He is called Father, in a philo- sophic and Platonistic sense, inasmuch as He is the Creator of the world (I Apol., xlv, 1; Ixi, 3; Ixv, 3; II Apol., vi, 1, etc.). On the other hand we see the God of the Bible in his all-powerful (Dial., Ixxxiv; I Apol., xix, 6), and merciful God (Dial., cviii, Iv, etc.); if He ordained the Sabbath it was not that He had need of the homage of the Jews, but that He de- sired to attach them to Himself (Dial., xxii) ; through His mercy He preser\'ed anion?; them a seed of salva- tion (Iv); through His Divine Providence He has rendered the nations worthy of their inheritance (cxviii cxxx) ; He delays the end of the world on account of the Christians (xxxix; I Apol.. xxviii, xlv). And the great duty of man is to love Him (Dial., xciii).

The Logon. — The Word is numerically distinct from the Father (Dial., cxxviii, cxxix; cf. Ivi, Ixii). He was born of the very substance of the Father, not that this substance was divided, but He proceeds from it as one fire does from another at which it is lit (cxxviii, Ixi); this form of production (procession) is compared also with that of human speech (Ixi). The Word (Logos) is therefore the Son ; much more. He alone may properly be called Son (II Apol., vi, 3) ; He is the tiovoyevfis. the tinigenitus (Dial., cv). Elsewhere, however. Justin, like St. Paul, calls Him the eldest Son, Tr/juTiroms (I Apol., xxxiii; xlvi; Ixiii; Dial., Ixxxiv, Ixxxv, cxxv). The Word is God (I Apol., Ixiii; Dial., xxxiv, xxxvi, xxxvii, Ivi, Ixiii, Ixxvi, Ixxxvi, Ixxxvii, ciiii, cxv, cxxv, cxxvi, cxviii). His Divinity, how-

ever, seems subordinate, as does the worship which is rendered to Him (I Apol., vi; cf. Ixi, 13; Teder, "Justins des Martyrers Lehre von Jesus Christus", Freiliurg im Br., 1906, 103-19). The Father en- gendered Him by a free antl voluntary act (Dial., Ixi, c, cxxvii, cxxviii; cf. Teder, op. cit., 104), at the beginning of all His works (Dial., Ixi, Ixii, II Apol., vi, 3) ; in this last text certain authors thought they distinguished in the Word two states of being, one intimate, the other outspoken, but this distinction, though found in some other apologists, is in Justin very doubtful. Through the Word God has made everything (II Apol., vi; Dial., cxiv). The Word is diffused through all humanity (I Apol., vi; II, viii; xiii) ; it was He who appeared to the patriarchs (I Apol., Ixii; Ixiii; Dial., Ivi, lix, Ix etc.); and who inspired the prophets (I Apol., xxxiii; xxxvi; II, X, etc.). He became incarnate and is Jesus Christ (II Apol., viii, 3; x, 1; etc.). Two influences are plainly discernible in the aforesaid body of doctrine. It is, of course, to Christian revelation that Justin owes his concept of the distinct personality of the Word, His Divinity and Incarnation; but philosophic speculation is responsible for his unfortunate concepts of the temporal and voluntary generation of the Word, and for the subordinationism of Justin's theology. It must be recognized, moreover, that the latter ideas stand out more boldly in the " Apology " than in the "Dialogue."

The Holy Ghost occupies the third place in the Trinity (I Apol., vi). He inspired the prophets (I Apol., vi; xxxi; Dial., vii). He gave seven gifts to Christ and descended upon Him (Dial., Ixxxvii, Ixxxviii). For the real distinction between the Son and the Spirit see Teder, op. cit., 119-23. Justin in- sists constantly on the virgin birth (I Apol., xxii; xxxiii; Dial., xhii, Ixxvi, Ixxxiv, etc.) and the real- ity of the flesh of Christ (Dial., xlviii, xcviii, ciii; cf. II Apol., X, 1). He states that among the Chris- tians there are some who do not admit the Divinity of Christ but they are a minority; he differs from them because of the authority of the Prophets (Dial., xlvi); the entire dialogue, moreover, is devoted to proving this thesis. Christ is the Master whose doctrine enlightens us (I Apol., xiii, 3; xxiii, 2; xxxii, 2; II, viii, 5; xiii, 2; Dial., viii, Ixxvii, Ixxxiii, c, cxiii), also the Redeemer whose blood saves us (I Apol., Ixiii, 10, 16; Dial., xiii, xl, xli, xcv, cvi; cf. Riviere, "Hist, du dogme de la rMemption", Paris, 1905, 115, and tr., London, 190S). The rest of Justin's theology is less personal, therefore less interesting. As to the Eucharist, the baptismal Mass and the Sunday Mass are described in the first "Apology" (Ixv-lxvii), with a richness of detail unique for that age. Justin here explains the dogma of the Real Presence with a won- derful clearness (Ixvi, 2): "In the same way that through the power of the Word of God Jesus Christ our Saviour took flesh and blood for our salvation, so the nourishment consecrated by the prayer formed of the words of Christ ... is the flesh and blood of this incarnate Jesus." The "Dialogue" (c.xvii; cf. xli) completes this doctrine by the idea of a Eucharistic sacrifice as a memorial of the Passion.

The role of St. Justin may be summed up in one word : it is that of a witness. We behold in him one of the highest and purest pagan souls of his time in con- tact with Christianity, compelled to accept its irre- fragable truth, its pure moral teaching, and to admire its superhuman constancy. He is also a witness of the second-century Church which he describes for us in its faith, its life, its worship, at a time when Christianity yet lacked the firm organization that it was soon to develop (see Iricn.eus, Saint), but the larger outlines of whose constitution and doctrine are already lumi- nously drawn by Justin. Finally, in consecration and confirmation of the aforesaid, Justin was a witness for Christ unto death.