by Bishop Gregory of Mesaoria
Today, our Holy Church honors the commemoration of Justin Martyr (the Philosopher) and the Martyrs Justus, Chariton and Charitus.
Saint Justin was born at Flavia Neapolis (today Nablus), Palestine, around AC 100. His parents were Greek pagans and provided so that their son could have the best theological and philosophical education. However, this broad education was not sufficient to give answers to the questions posed by his restless spirit.
God saw the sincere nature of Justin’s investigations and responded miraculously. Therefore, one day, while Justin was walking in contemplation by the sea, he met an old man, deeply informed on the truths of the Scriptures and the Ecclesiastic tradition, who taught Justin Marty the Christian doctrines and the latter emerged as a great ecclesiastic writer.
During the reign of Emperor Antoninus Pius, Justin went to Rome, where he provided him an apology with the basic doctrines of Christianity, proving the falsity of the idols, using arguments from the texts of the Bible, the New and the Old Testament. For this reason he was called as an Apologizer of Orthodox Faith.
The brave attitude and activity of Justin who never ceased to preach the Word of the Lord and write Christian apologetic and pastoral works (First and Second Apology, Dialogue with Trypho etc.), as well as his reference to “seeds of Logos”, manifestations of the true Logos of God in the texts of ancient Greek philosophers, caused the menace of the idolaters. Therefore he was arrested, subject to tortures, and beheaded in AD 165, emerging not only as an apologetic figure of Orthodox faith but also as a heroic Martyr of the Church.
It is also worth mentioning that the Narthexes of some Monasteries figur great thinkers of antiquity, such as Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, because, through their ethos and philosophical work, they are considered Christians before Christ.
