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About this time Justin, who was mentioned by us just above, after he
had addressed a second work in behalf of our doctrines to the rulers
already named, was crowned with divine martyrdom, in consequence of a
plot laid against him by Crescens, a philosopher who emulated the life
and manners of the Cynics, whose name he bore. After Justin had
frequently refuted him in public discussions he won by his martyrdom the
prize of victory, dying in behalf of the truth which he preached. And
he himself, a man most learned in the truth, in his Apology already
referred to clearly predicts how this was about to happen to him,
although it had not yet occurred. His words are as follows: " I,
too, therefore, expect to be plotted against and put in the stocks by
some one of those whom I have named, or perhaps by Crescens, that
unphilosophical and vainglorious man. For the man is not worthy to be
called a philosopher who publicly bears witness against those concerning
whom he knows nothing, declaring, for the sake of captivating and
pleasing the multitude, that the Christians are atheistical and
impious. Doing this he errs greatly. For if he assails us without
having read the teachings of Christ, he is thoroughly depraved, and
is much worse than the illiterate, who often guard against discussing
and bearing false witness about matters which they do not understand.
And if he has read them and does not understand the majesty that is in
them, or, understanding it, does these things in order that he may
not be suspected of being an adherent, he is far more base and totally
depraved, being enslaved to vulgar applause and irrational fear. For
I would have you know that when I proposed certain questions of the
sort and asked him in regard to them, I learned and proved that he
indeed knows nothing. And to show that I speak the truth I am
ready, if these disputations have not been reported to you, to discuss
the questions again in your presence. And this indeed would be an act
worthy of an emperor. But if my questions and his answers have been
made known to you, it is obvious to you that he knows nothing about our
affairs; or if he knows, but does not dare to speak because of those
who hear him, he shows himself to be, as I have already said, not a
philosopher, but a vainglorious man, who indeed does not even regard
that most admirable saying of Socrates." These are the words of
Justin.
And that he met his death as he had predicted that he would, in
consequence of the machinations of Crescens, is stated by Tatian, a
than who early in life lectured upon the sciences of the Greeks and won
no little fame in them, and who has left a great many monuments of
himself in his writings. He records this fact in his work against the
Greeks, where he writes as follows: " And that most admirable
Justin declared with truth thai the aforesaid persons were like
robbers." Then, after making some remarks about the philosophers,
he continues as follows: "Crescens, indeed, who made his nest in
the great city, surpassed all in his unnatural lust, and was wholly
devoted to the love of money. And he who taught that death should be
despised, was himself so greatly in fear of it that he endeavored to
inflict death, as if it were a great evil, upon Justin, because the
latter, when preaching the truth, had proved that the philosophers
were gluttons and impostors."And such was the cause of Justin's
martyrdom.
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