Τοῦ ἁγίου Ἰουστίνου Ἀπολογία ὑπὲρ Χριστιανῶν πρὸς Ἀντωνῖνον τὸν Εὐσεβῆ

aka The Apology of Saint Justin for the Christians to Antoninus Pius

First Apology of Justin Martyr

Author

Justin Martyr

Language

Koine Greek

Year

c. 155-157

Country

Roman Empire

Genre

Nonfiction / Essays / Treatise

ancient worldgraeco-roman

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The First Apology is an early work of Christian apologetics addressed by Justin Martyr to the Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius. In addition to arguing against the persecution of individuals solely for being Christian, Justin also provides the Emperor with a defense of the philosophy of Christianity and a detailed explanation of contemporary Christian practices and rituals. This work, along with the Second Apology, has been cited as one of the earliest examples of Christian apology, and many scholars attribute this work to creating a new genre of apology out of what was a typical Roman administrative procedure.