Justin Martyr meets a Master

Justin Martyr lived at Neapolis during the reign of Marcus Aurelius, and suffered death for the faith of his Fathers the Philosophers, about 165 A.D, From youth he sought ardently for knowledge of the Truth, and in his own writings gives an account of his receiving the ”Salutation of the Sages,” He states that his investigation into the various philosophies of the day resulted in conviction that he would find the true path to God through Platonism, He therefore gave himself up to the rigorous mental discipline and meditation which that school enjoined upon its neophytes. During this period, ”Wishing to be filled with quietness and to shun the paths of men, I used to walk by myself in a field near the sea. One day an old man of gentle and venerable appearance followed me at a little distance. I stopped and turning round fixed my eyes keenly upon him.

” ‘Dost thou know me?’ he asked.
“I replied that I did not.
” ‘Why then dost thou look so intently at me?’
” ‘Because,’ I said, ‘I had not expected to see any man here.’
” ‘I am anxious,’ he replied, ‘about some absent members of my family, and I am come to look out whether they would come in sight from any quarter.”

A remarkable discussion ensued in which the messenger of the Sages made plain to Justin the futility of an intellectualism unvivified by spirit, such as was manifest in the Stoic, Peripatetic, Pythagorean, and even Platonic philosophies at that period. At last Justin said, as so many other baffled thinkers have done before and since, “Whom then, shall a man take as his Master, or whence shall he derive any instruction if the truth is not with these philosophers?”

“There once lived men called prophets,” answered his instructor, “who were anterior to any of those who are considered philosophers and who were blessed, just, and beloved by God, They were filled with the Divine Spirit and foretold future events which are now actually taking place. And they alone knew and taught the Truth neither regarding nor fearing any man, nor being carried away by personal love of glory, but declaring only those things which they saw and heard when filled with the Divine Spirit. Their writings are extant, and whoever reads them will derive much instruction about the first principles and the end of things, together with all that a philosopher ought to know when he believes them. They have not indeed used demonstration in their treatises, for they were verily as faithful witnesses of the Truth above all demonstration. They glorified God, the Father and Creator of all things and proclaimed His Son, the Christ whom He has sent. Pray therefore above all things that the gates of light may be opened to thee, for these things cannot be perceived or understood by all, but only by him to whom God and His Christ have given understanding.”

“When he had thus spoken he went away; and I saw him no more. But straightway a flame was kindled in my Soul, and a love of the Prophets and of the friends of Christ took possession of me; and revolving his words in my mind I found this Philosophy alone to be sound and profitable.” From ”The Dialogues of St, Justin Martyr with Trypho the Jew.” §104, §109. Translation based upon Edward Backhouse, “Early Church History”, pages 29-31.

In the early Christian Church the word Christ was used as a synonym for the Solar Principle in man. “But if Christ is in you, though your body must die because of sin, yet your Spirit has life because of righteousness.” Romans viii, 10.