Justin Martyr: The First Christian Philosopher

Can Greek philosophy help us understand the Bible? How much did Christian theology borrow from Plato and other philosophers, and did that distort the original message of Jesus? Justin Martyr was a spiritual seeker born to a Greek family in Samaria at the end of the first century AD. He studied the Stoics, Aristotelians, Pythagoreans, and Platonists before converting to Christianity. Although he nominally rejected his philosophical training while embracing his new faith, he used the lenses and tools of philosophy to understand Christianity and explain it to his contemporaries. Justin’s works, including the “First Apology” and “Second Apology,” are foundational texts for Christian apologetics (that is, arguments on behalf of the Christian faith). Justin sees the Christian gospel and theology as broadly compatible with ideas found in Greek philosophy, and is the earliest surviving Christian author to argue that philosophers including Socrates and Plato were effectively Christians without knowing it. John Hamer of Toronto Centre Place will review the life and works of Justin Martyr, and consider their influence on later Christian theology and Christian attitudes toward the inheritance of Greek philosophy. Join the livestream to participate in the discussion and to ask questions of our lecturer during the Q&A. This lecture is part of our series exploring Christianity and the Bible from an academic perspective through history, mythology, archaeology, theology, and biblical studies. In this presentation we focus on Justin Martyr, Christian apologetics, Platonism. 📚 Browse our catalogue of free lectures at https://www.centreplace.ca/lectures Your generous support allows us to offer these lectures at no cost. Please consider making a donation (tax deductible in the US and Canada): ❤️ https://www.centreplace.ca/donate ️ #JustinMartyr #GreekPhilosophy #ChristianApologetics