6/28/17
Justin on the Sole Government of God. (translated by Rev. G. Reith, M.A. Loc. 9969-10210 in The Complete Ante-Nicene & Nicene & Post-Nicene Church Fathers Collection. Catholic Way Publishing, 2014. ANF 01 The Apostolic Fathers with Justin Martyr and Irenaeus.Kindle Electronic Edition.
Chapter 1, Loc. 9969-9983.
Humans were created to discern truth and to worship the true Lord. They turned from this truth to idolatry. “It is the part of a lover of man, or rather of a lover of God, to remind men who have neglected it of that which they ought to know” (Loc. 9974). Justin’s intention, then, is to draw people back to the historic Christian faith, which he views as authentic and consistent with the original created order, “so that they should worship unchangeably Him who knows all things” (Loc. 9978). He plans to do this through “demonstration drawn from the old poetry in Greek literature, and from writings very common amongst all” (Loc. 9982). The historic non-Christian literature is going to rightly describe Christian doctrine.