St Justin Martyr: Life, Apologies, the Mass, Feast Day

St Justin Martyr (c. 100-165) was a pagan philosopher of Samaria who, after trying every school of his day, found in Christ the philosophy he called "alone safe and profitable", defended the faith in writing before the emperors, and was beheaded at Rome for refusing to sacrifice to the gods. He left us, in his First Apology, one of the earliest descriptions we possess of the Christian Sunday and of the Holy Eucharist. In the calendar of 1962 his feast is kept on 14 April, a feast of the third class in red vestments; below are his life, his writings, the record of his trial, and the prayers of his Mass in Latin and English.

Who was St Justin Martyr?

Justin was born at Flavia Neapolis, the Roman city built near ancient Sichem in Samaria (the modern Nablus), around the year 100. In the first lines of his Apology he names himself "Justin, the son of Priscus and grandson of Bacchius, natives of Flavia Neapolis in Palestine". His family was pagan, of Greek origin: he was, as Butler puts it, a Samaritan only "in one sense", for he knew no Hebrew. His parents gave him a liberal education, and he gave himself to rhetoric, poetry and history.

Then a thirst for the truth drew him to philosophy, which in his day meant the search for God. He tells the story himself at the beginning of the Dialogue with Trypho, and Butler follows it:

• he first studied under a Stoic, and left him when he found that he could teach him nothing about God;
• a Peripatetic (a follower of Aristotle) disgusted him at once by demanding his fee;
• a Pythagorean told him that he must first learn music, geometry and astronomy;
• at last a Platonist undertook to lead him to the knowledge of God, and for a time he was enchanted.

The lessons of his feast in the Roman Breviary sum it up: he "enrolled himself in all the sects of the philosophers that then existed, to attain the truth", but found in them "only a deceitful wisdom".

The old man by the sea: the conversion of St Justin

One day, walking in a field near the sea, pondering a saying of Plato, Justin found himself followed by a venerable old man. They fell to talking. The stranger told him of a philosophy nobler than any he had studied: one revealed by God to the Hebrew prophets and fulfilled in Jesus Christ. He ended, in Justin's own words: "pray that, above all things, the gates of light may be opened to you; for these things cannot be perceived or understood by all, but only by the man to whom God and His Christ have imparted wisdom."

"He went away," Justin writes, "bidding me attend to them; and I have not seen him since. But straightway a flame was kindled in my soul; and a love of the prophets, and of those men who are friends of Christ, possessed me; and while revolving his words in my mind, I found this philosophy alone to be safe and profitable. Thus, and for this reason, I am a philosopher." He began to read the Scriptures and to look at the Christians with new eyes.

He had already been struck by them. "Even at the time when I was content with the doctrines of Plato," he wrote, "when I heard Christians accused and saw them fearlessly meet death and all that is considered terrible, I felt that such men could not possibly have been leading the life of vicious pleasure with which they were credited." He was about thirty when he was baptized; we know neither the date nor the place.

The Collect of his feast turns this whole story into a prayer: God taught Justin "the surpassing knowledge of Jesus Christ" by "the foolishness of the Cross". It is St Paul's word in the Epistle of his Mass: "For the word of the cross, to them indeed that perish, is foolishness: but to them that are saved, that is, to us, it is the power of God" (1 Corinthians i. 18, Douay-Rheims). If you are on the same road, our page on how to find God follows it further.

What is St Justin Martyr known for?

The first great Christian apologist

Before Justin, the Christians, many of them simple people, had preferred to bear calumny in silence rather than expose their sacred mysteries to profanation. Justin was convinced from his own experience that many would gladly accept the faith if only it were properly explained. "It is our duty to make known our doctrine," he wrote, "lest we incur the guilt and the punishment of those who have sinned through ignorance."

So he kept wearing the cloak of a philosopher, travelled, disputed with pagans, heretics and Jews, and finally opened a school at Rome. Butler calls him "the first great Christian apologist known to us by works of any considerable length".

What did St Justin Martyr write?

Three of his works have come down to us whole:

• the First Apology, addressed to the Emperor Antoninus Pius, to his sons and to the Senate and people of Rome. It protests against condemning Christians for the mere name, answers the charges of atheism and immorality, shows that Christians are peaceful and loyal subjects, and ends by describing baptism and the Sunday assembly;
• the Second Apology, a shorter work that seems to be an appendix to the first;
• the Dialogue with Trypho, a long discussion with a learned Jew, in which Justin shows from the prophets that Jesus is the Christ.

The Breviary adds that his Apologies obtained from the emperors a public edict that moderated the slaughter of the Christians. He also wrote a treatise against the heresies of his time which is lost, though, as Butler notes, it seems to have been used by St Irenaeus.

St Justin Martyr on the Eucharist

How does St Justin describe the Eucharistic celebration? In chapters 65 to 67 of the First Apology, written around the middle of the second century to explain to the emperor what the Christians do at their assemblies. These pages are precious because they show, a few decades after the Apostles, the same structure as the Mass the Church still celebrates: the readings, the sermon, the prayers, the offering of bread and of wine mixed with water, the great prayer of thanksgiving answered by the people's Amen, and Communion, carried also to the absent.

Here are the key passages in the classic translation of Marcus Dods and George Reith (Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. I, 1885). On the newly baptized:

"There is then brought to the president of the brethren bread and a cup of wine mixed with water; and he taking them, gives praise and glory to the Father of the universe, through the name of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, and offers thanks at considerable length for our being counted worthy to receive these things at His hands. And when he has concluded the prayers and thanksgivings, all the people present express their assent by saying Amen." (First Apology, 65)

On what the Eucharist is:

"And this food is called among us Εὐχαριστία [the Eucharist], of which no one is allowed to partake but the man who believes that the things which we teach are true, and who has been washed with the washing that is for the remission of sins, and unto regeneration, and who is so living as Christ has enjoined.

For not as common bread and common drink do we receive these; but in like manner as Jesus Christ our Saviour, having been made flesh by the Word of God, had both flesh and blood for our salvation, so likewise have we been taught that the food which is blessed by the prayer of His word, and from which our blood and flesh by transmutation are nourished, is the flesh and blood of that Jesus who was made flesh." (First Apology, 66)

On the Sunday assembly:

"And on the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as time permits; then, when the reader has ceased, the president verbally instructs, and exhorts to the imitation of these good things. Then we all rise together and pray, and, as we before said, when our prayer is ended, bread and wine and water are brought, and the president in like manner offers prayers and thanksgivings, according to his ability, and the people assent, saying Amen; and there is a distribution to each, and a participation of that over which thanks have been given, and to those who are absent a portion is sent by the deacons." (First Apology, 67)

Notice the three conditions he sets for receiving Communion: the true faith, baptism, and a life lived as Christ commanded. Notice above all his faith in the Real Presence: the Eucharist is not "common bread and common drink", but "the flesh and blood of that Jesus who was made flesh". You can set his description beside the Order of the Tridentine Mass and see how much has been faithfully kept.

How did St Justin Martyr die?

At Rome Justin had publicly convicted a Cynic philosopher named Crescens of ignorance and bad faith, and he knew the man's hatred. The Breviary says that Crescens, "whose wicked life and morals he had exposed", had him accused; Justin was arrested during his second stay in Rome and brought, with six other Christians, five men and one woman, before Rusticus, prefect of the city, around the year 165, under the Emperor Marcus Aurelius.

The Acts of his martyrdom, which Butler counts "among the most valuable and authentic which have come down to us", preserve the interrogation. Here is part of it, in the translation given by Butler:

Rusticus: What branch of learning do you study?

Justin: I have studied all in turn. But I finished by deciding on the Christian teaching, however disagreeable it may be to those who are deceived by error.

Asked where the Christians met, Justin answered that the God of the Christians is not shut up in any place, but is worshipped everywhere; and, as the Breviary notes, he kept silent about the places of the assemblies "so as not to betray holy things and the brethren to the dogs", giving only his own lodging. Then the prefect asked him whether he really believed he would go up to heaven if he were beheaded:

Justin: I don't think it, I know it. I have no doubt about it whatever.

Rusticus: Very well. Come here and sacrifice to the gods.

Justin: Nobody in his senses gives up truth for falsehood.

Rusticus: If you don't do as I tell you, you will be tortured without mercy.

Justin: We ask nothing better than to suffer for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ and so to be saved.

All seven were scourged and then beheaded at the common place of execution. Some of the faithful secretly took up their bodies and buried them "in a fitting place". That is why it is said that St Justin's burial place is unknown: the Acts do not name it, and, as Butler remarks, no trace of an early cult of St Justin is found in Rome itself.

The prayer of St Justin Martyr (Missal of 1962)

Pope Leo XIII had an Office and a Mass composed in honour of St Justin and ordered them to be celebrated by the whole Church, as the Breviary and the Catholic Encyclopedia both record. The Mass is proper, Narraverunt mihi, with St Paul's Epistle on the foolishness of the Cross and the Gospel "Be not afraid of them who kill the body" (St Luke xii. 2-8). Its three prayers are proper to St Justin, and they are worth praying slowly: the Secret recalls that he defended the Holy Sacrifice against the calumnies of the pagans, and the Postcommunion asks that we may live in thanksgiving, the very meaning of the word Eucharist. There is no Credo. Here they are in Latin, as the Missal gives them, with our own English translation.

Collect, 14 April

Deus, qui per stultítiam Crucis eminéntem Jesu Christi sciéntiam beátum Justínum Mártyrem mirabíliter docuísti: ejus nobis intercessióne concéde; ut, errórum circumventióne depúlsa, fídei firmitátem consequámur. Per eúndem Dóminum nostrum Jesum Christum Fílium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitáte Spíritus Sancti, Deus, per ómnia sǽcula sæculórum. Amen.

O God, who by the foolishness of the Cross didst wondrously teach blessed Justin, Thy Martyr, the surpassing knowledge of Jesus Christ: grant us, by his intercession, that the deceits of error being driven away, we may obtain steadfastness in the faith. Through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.

Secret

Múnera nostra, Dómine Deus, benígnus súscipe: quorum mirábile mystérium sanctus Martyr Iustínus advérsum impiórum calúmnias strénue deféndit. Per Dóminum nostrum Jesum Christum, Fílium tuum: qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitáte Spíritus Sancti Deus, per ómnia sǽcula sæculórum. Amen.

Graciously receive our gifts, O Lord God, whose wondrous mystery the holy Martyr Justin valiantly defended against the calumnies of the wicked. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.

Postcommunion

Cœlésti alimónia refécti, súpplices te, Dómine, deprecámur: ut, beáti Justíni Mártyris tui mónitis, de accéptis donis semper in gratiárum actióne maneámus. Per Dóminum nostrum Jesum Christum, Fílium tuum: qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitáte Spíritus Sancti Deus, per ómnia sǽcula sæculórum. Amen.

Refreshed with heavenly nourishment, we humbly beseech Thee, O Lord, that, by the counsels of blessed Justin, Thy Martyr, we may ever abide in thanksgiving for the gifts we have received. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.

The Collect is the Church's own prayer to St Justin Martyr: steadfastness in the faith, when error surrounds us on every side, is exactly the grace his life asks for.

When is the feast day of St Justin Martyr?

In the calendar of 1962 the feast of St Justin Martyr is on 14 April, a feast of the third class in red vestments, with a commemoration of the martyrs Ss Tiburtius, Valerian and Maximus, whom the legend of St Cecilia makes her bridegroom (Valerian) and his brother (Tiburtius); Butler warns that nothing certain is known about them. As for the date, Butler notes that St Justin is commemorated in the Roman Martyrology on 14 April, the day after St Carpus, whose name immediately precedes his in the Chronicle of Eusebius.

Because 14 April falls so near Easter, the date of Easter decides how it is kept:

• in Lent, when Easter falls on or after 22 April, the Lenten weekday takes precedence and St Justin is only commemorated (and not at all if 14 April is then a Sunday of Lent, a day of the first class);
• in Holy Week or in the Octave of Easter, days of the first class that admit no commemoration of a saint, the feast is not kept that year;
• in Paschaltide, when Easter falls on or before 6 April, the feast is kept in full, as in 2026 and 2027 (should 14 April fall on a Sunday, the Sunday takes precedence and the saint is at most commemorated).

In the calendar promulgated in 1969 his memorial was moved to 1 June, and that is the date most modern sources give; the Missal and Breviary of 1962, and this app, keep it on 14 April. You will find the day in our traditional Catholic calendar of 1962, and St Justin among the saints of the year in our guide to the Catholic saints.

What is St Justin Martyr the patron saint of?

He is commonly invoked as the patron of philosophers. It is a patronage that comes from his life rather than from any decree, and it is well founded: no saint shows better that the honest search for truth leads to Christ, and that philosophy finds its fulfilment in the faith.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who was St Justin Martyr?

A pagan philosopher of Flavia Neapolis in Samaria who became a Christian around the age of thirty, defended the faith in his Apologies and his Dialogue with Trypho, taught at Rome, and was beheaded there for Christ around the year 165.

What did St Justin Martyr do?

He explained and defended the Christian faith publicly, in writing and in disputation, before emperors, philosophers, heretics and Jews, at a time when Christians were condemned for the mere name, and he died rather than sacrifice to the gods.

How does St Justin Martyr describe the Eucharistic celebration?

In the First Apology (chapters 65-67): on Sunday the faithful gather, the writings of the Apostles and Prophets are read, the president preaches, all pray, bread and wine mixed with water are brought, the president gives thanks at length, the people answer Amen, and the deacons distribute the Eucharist, which is "the flesh and blood of that Jesus who was made flesh".

How was St Justin Martyr killed?

He was scourged and then beheaded at Rome, with six companions, by sentence of the prefect Rusticus, for refusing to sacrifice to the gods.

When did St Justin Martyr die?

Around the year 165, under the Emperor Marcus Aurelius; the exact date is not recorded.

Where is St Justin Martyr buried?

The Acts of his martyrdom say only that the faithful secretly buried the bodies of the martyrs "in a fitting place"; the place is not known.

When was St Justin Martyr canonized?

Never by a formal process, which did not exist in the second century. The Roman Martyrology commemorates him on 14 April, and Leo XIII extended his feast to the universal Church.

When is the feast of St Justin Martyr?

14 April in the calendar of 1962; 1 June in the calendar of 1969.

The Iter Fidei app carries the traditional calendar of 1962, the Roman Missal with the prayers of each day and the Breviary, in Latin and English. Join early access here.

Sources. Alban Butler, Lives of the Saints, 14 April (St Justin Martyr). St Justin, First Apology, chapters 1 and 65-67, and Dialogue with Trypho, chapters 7-8, translated by Marcus Dods and George Reith (Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. I, 1885). Roman Breviary, 14 April (St Justin, Martyr), lessons in their full form before 1960, and the single contracted lesson of 1960. Roman Missal (1962), Proper of Saints, 14 April. The Catholic Encyclopedia (1910), "St. Justin Martyr". Holy Bible, Douay-Rheims version, 1 Corinthians i. 18; St Luke xii. 2-8.