Customer Reviews

St. Justin Martyr: The First and Second Apologies (Ancient Christian Writers)

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The first thing to notice about this translation of Justin Martyr's First and Second Apologies is that the text of the Apologies themselves is only 62 pages, although the book weighs in at 245. The majority of the remaining pages are notes on the text, so the book is heavily footnoted with the notes encapsulating the translator's views on Justin and engagement with the scholarly consensus.

Reading Justin is an excellent experience and this translation is quite readable. The Apologies contain many scripture references but most of them aren't interpreted in the way that almost any modern person would. At one point in the notes (note 315 on page 162) the translator refers to Justin's reading of a particular passage as "fanciful exegesis" and notes that Justin, "Quotes Old Testament proof-texts that sometimes appear to have been picked at random" but says that this, "Should not blind us to his fundamentally biblical outlook." This sums up the way that the translator approaches Justin in the notes, with much forgiveness and allowance for his place in history. Apparently this is not always the case as quotes in the book from other scholars indicate that there is certainly a strong set of opinions that Justin was rather simple-minded and so no small effort is expended on the part of the translator to refute these opinions. If you are into objectivity in your "scholarship" then this might bother you as it often can come across as being rather biased toward Justin, but I took it as simply being fair and appreciated it as such.

This was a wonderful book. I just couldnt put it down. Its the third book in the Ancient Christian Writers that I purchased.

I learned a lot from reading St Justin Apology in defense of Christianity of the roots of Christian beliefs. He section on the sacraments, "especially the Eucharist" is wonderful. Other books from the series I recommend The Didache, St Ignatious, and Clement.

Throughout this work Justin tells the reader how he believes demons are involved in pagan religion, defends the Church against accusations of immorality, and touches on his beliefs about the Logos.

The endnotes are fantastic informative throughout.