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JUSTIN OF NABLUS (c.100-165) |
Do not be afraid, but speak and do not be silent; for I am with you and no man shall attack you to harm you (Acts 18:9-10). Almighty Father, through the folly of the cross you taught Justin the sublime wisdom and courtesy of Jesus Christ: may we too reject falsehood and remain loyal to our Lord. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. Born in Nablus at the turn of the first century, Justin the Palestinian was among the first in the early Church to apply himself to systematic and reasoned defence of the faith of Christ. He search ed long for truth and conviction but they eluded him until one day, meeting an old man who commended the “simplicity of Christ,” he found, and was found by, the Lord. It was about the year 133. As a Christian, he went on wearing his philosopher’s robe in token of his confidence that Christ was truly “the wisdom of God”. As his Christian encounters deepened, he began a lively series of writings about Christ. In writing to the Emperor, he fully described the Holy Communion. In the form of explanatory writing called “Apologetics”, he was anxious to recruit all the truth he could from those he addressed. In dialogue at Ephesus with Trypho the Jew he exemplified all the due courtesies and frustration of such a discussion. Denounced as a Christian in Marcus Aurelius’ reign, Justin was beheaded in 165. In life and death, in thought and authorship, Justin is the most winsome of secondary leaders. From his writings come our clearest knowledge of the Christian mind of the era, both in worship and in teaching, in Biblical interpretation and sacramental life. O Thou, whom truly to know is everlasting life, grant us, with all Thy servants of every age, sufficient grace, a lively mind, a seasoned spirit, a sure devotion and a ripe judgement, that we may serve Thee loyally till the end of the day, through Christ our master and Lord. |