Justin Martyr: A Philosopher’s Journey to Christianity

Justin Martyr was a Greek philosopher born in Flavia Neapolis. Having searched many different philosophical traditions for the truth he finally became a Christian after meeting an old man who convinced him of its truth. Following this he continued to wear his philosopher robes and founded a Christian school in Rome. Considered to be the greatest of the apologists, his writings were aimed at proving that Christianity was intellectually superior to Roman paganism. He was executed during the reign of Marcus Aurelius for refusing to sacrifice to the Roman gods, earning him the name Martyr.

Justin contends that those who are truly reasonable and truly philosophical should love the truth alone, even if it costs them their life. This is why, he

While in prison awaiting her death she wrote down a series of dreams she had which became known as the passio. Perpetua describes how she was baptized while in prison, at which point the Holy Spirit told her not to request anything from her baptism other than the ability to endure physical suffering. Her brother, who is also in prison, asks her to ask God for a vision revealing her whether she would be released or not (25).She then has a dream where she ascends a ladder covered in weapons. Reaching the top she meets a grey haired man dressed as a shepherd surrounded by people dressed in white. This man gives her cheese which she eats before awakening. Following this dream she realizes she and her brother will be martyred. Her father, however, is not a Christian and continues to beg her to renounce her faith (26). Perpetua next has another dream, this time of her brother Dinocrates who died in childhood. He is thirsty but cannot reach the water. Perpetua realizes he is in trouble and so prays for him. She then has another dream where he is capable of reaching the water and drinking (27). In her third and final dream she is lead to the arena she is to die in by the deacon Pomponius. When she arrives there she turns into a man. She then fights with a defeats an Egyptian and is given a branch as a sign of victory. She takes the meaning of this dream to be that she will contend with Satan in the arena (28). To me this entire document seems very strange. All of her dreams seem very disjointed and highly reminiscent of the seemingly random patters the normal way that the mind dreams. While Perpetua may be a saint and a martyr, it seems odd to point to the events of this documents as evidence of spiritual gifts. There is nothing in account of her dreams that seems remotely supernatural or even remarkable. The only theologically interesting part is her relating of the dream concerning her brother he died in childhood as there