eul_aid: uau
Ψευδο-Ἰουστῖνος ὁ ἀπολογητής
Pseudo-Justin the Christian Apologist
12 works

Pseudo-Justin is the name given by modern scholars to the unknown author or authors of several early Christian texts. These works were composed in the 2nd century CE but were incorrectly attributed for centuries to the famous Christian philosopher and martyr, Justin Martyr. The true identity, location, and life details of this anonymous writer are completely lost to history.

This author wrote in the tradition of early Christian apologetics, a form of writing that defended the faith against pagan critics and internal heresies like Gnosticism. According to modern scholars, attributing new works to a respected figure like Justin was a common practice at the time, used to lend authority to theological arguments. The writings of Pseudo-Justin therefore reflect the ongoing intellectual efforts to define Christian doctrine and its relationship to Greek philosophy in the decades after the apostolic age.

The surviving works attributed to Pseudo-Justin include treatises such as the Exhortation to the Greeks, On the Monarchy of God, and the Exposition of the True Faith. The authorship of the eloquent Epistle to Diognetus is also highly disputed and often connected to this corpus. The significance of these texts lies in their window into early Christian thought beyond the most famous Church Fathers. Scholars study them to trace the development of ideas like monotheism and Logos theology, and to understand the common literary practice of writing under a respected name to bolster a work's influence.

Available Works

Προτροπὴ πρὸς Ἕλληνας
Exhortation to the Gentiles
167 passages
Ἔκθεσις τῆς Ἀληθοῦς Πίστεως
Exposition of the True Faith
71 passages
Ἀποσπάσματα περὶ τοῦ Σύμβολου τοῦ Χριστοῦ
Fragments on Christ's Symbolism
7 passages
Ἐπιστολὴ πρὸς Διόγνητον
Letter to Diognetus
31 passages
Ἐπιστολὴ πρὸς Ζηνᾶν καὶ Σερῆνον
Letter to Zenas and Serenus
51 passages
Περὶ Μοναρχίας
On Monarchy
31 passages
Περὶ Ἀναστάσεως
On the Resurrection
41 passages
Λόγος πρὸς Ἕλληνας
Oration to the Gentiles
16 passages
Ἐρωταποκρίσεις πρὸς τοὺς Ὀρθοδόξους
Questions and Answers to the Orthodox
390 passages
Ἐρωτήσεις Ἑλλήνων πρὸς Χριστιανούς
Questions of Gentiles to Christians
86 passages
Ἐρωτήσεις Χριστιανῶν πρὸς Ἕλληνας
Questions to the Gentiles
169 passages
Ἔλεγχος τινῶν Ἀριστοτελικῶν Δογμάτων
Refutation of Certain Aristotelian Doctrines
220 passages

Sources