The holy, glorious, right-victorious martyr Justin the
Philosopher (also Justin Martyr) was one of the earliest
apologists for the Christian faith. A convert to Christianity,
he produced a number of works during the middle of the second
century, amongst them two Apologies addressed to the Roman
emperors, defending and explaining Christianity as the true
philosophy. The power of his arguments was to earn him his
martyrdom. His feast day is celebrated on June 1. The dates of
Justin Martyr's birth and death are not known. He is believed to
have been born between 100 and 114 A.D., and his death is
believed to have occurred between 162 and 168. Most of what is
known of his life comes from his own writings. He was born in
Palestine in Flavia Neapolis, known in Old Testament times as
Shechem, but now as Nablus. He called himself a Samaritan,
although his father, Priscos, and grandfather, Baccheios, may
have been Greek or Roman. As a child he was raised a pagan in a
family of means and studied philosophy at various s