Justin, philosopher and martyr

Shortly before his death in February 2012, Father Bruno Holtz, who for decades was one of the pillars of the Work of St-Justin in Friborg and Geneva, wrote a series of eighteen “paintings” to popularize the life and thought of the 2nd century Christian philosopher St-Justin, patron saint of our Work. The St-Justin blog will publish them regularly in its next issues.

St-Justin has three different names among biographers. Some present him as “Justin the martyr“, others as “Justin the philosopher“, still others as “Justin of Nablus“.

St. Justin of Nablus, because he was born in Flavia Neapolis (Nablus), in Palestine, probably the grandson of a former Roman legionary.

Justin the philosopher, because he considered the doctrine of Jesus Christ to be the best philosophy in the world, the only one that contains all the Truth.

Justin martyr, because he suffered martyrdom in the year 165 in Rome, with six Christian companions like him.

It was the professor of theology François Charrière, founder of the Work in 1927 and future bishop of the diocese of Lausanne, Geneva and Fribourg, who chose this patron saint, thinking that every student should be a seeker of truth just like Justin the philosopher.

The biography of Saint Justin has many gaps. We would have liked to know his relations with the successor of Saint Peter, who at the time was Saint Anicet, the 11th pope of the Catholic Church. Nor do the works of Saint Justin, which have come down to us, mention anything about the community of Christians in Rome.

His preserved works are not strictly speaking theological. These are combat writings. His Apology takes up the defense of persecuted Christians and his Dialogue with the Jew Trypho bears witness to the separation between Christians and Jews. Justin exerted a profound influence on subsequent generations of Christian thinkers. As such, he is the first Father of the Church.