Justin Martyr

But you'll see throughout early church history, you'll see, and just the church fathers and other early theologians, they will consistently connect Jesus back to something that has to do with Moses.

When Justin Martyr writes this dialogue with Trifo, And this is in chapter 86 of that dialogue.

He says, and that the stone symbolically proclaimed Christ, I have proved by many arguments, and that the water flowed from the rock has been shown to be a symbol of Christ.

So what is he doing? He's doing the same thing we talked about.

The Old Testament is something that points to Jesus.

In that same dialogue with Trifo, he says, "...the mystery then of the Lamb, which God enjoined to be sacrificed at the Passover, was a type of Christ." That's right, with whose blood those who believe in him anoint themselves.

So Justin Martyr is basically saying, hey, this Passover has got a yes now and a future application, like we talked about before.

It really symbolized a true deliverance from Egypt.

Origen, in the end of the second century, mentions a book of James, but it is by no means clear that he refers to the book in question.

Justin Martyr, in two passages, refers to the cave in which Christ was born, and from the end of the fourth century down, there are numerous allusions in ecclesiastical writings to statements made in the Proto-Evangelium.

For his edition, Tischendorf made use of seventeen manuscripts, one of them belonging to the ninth century.

The Greek is good of the kind and free from errors and corruptions.

Of twelve manuscripts, only two or three give the second part consecutively with the first, nor does it so appear in the Coptic translation.

The title of Gospel of Nicodemus does not appear before the thirteenth century.

Justin Martyr mentions a book called the Acts of Pilate, and Eusebius informs us that the Emperor Maximin allowed or ordered a book composed by the pagans under this title to be published in a certain portion of the empire, and even to be taught in the schools.

But neither of these could have been the work under consideration.

I mean, wouldn't it be perfect for Satan to present himself as this good, all-knowing, intelligent, biological being from far away? And then you're going to have Christians going, well, is the Bible even true? Did Jesus die for these aliens or UFOs or something? And unless you read the word and you understand that this has been taught...

I mean, Justin Martyr in 200 and whatever it was AD, he even had a very well understood theology of demonology, right? Someone asked him and said, well, how can demons predict the future? And he goes, you got to realize there...

they're limited.

He goes, a demon can fly up to the interdimensional beings and see that the clouds are, the storm clouds are coming, come down to you and tell you, yeah, it's going to rain tomorrow.

I mean, wouldn't it be perfect for Satan to present himself as this good, all-knowing, intelligent, biological being from far away? And then you're going to have Christians going, well, is the Bible even true? Did Jesus die for these aliens or UFOs or something? And unless you read the word and you understand that this has been...

I mean, Justin Martyr in 200 and whatever it was AD, he even had a very well understood theology of demonology, right? Someone asked him and said, well, how can demons predict the future? And he goes, you got to realize there...

they're limited.

He goes, a demon can fly up to the interdimensional beings and see that the clouds are, the storm clouds are coming, come down to you and tell you, yeah, it's going to rain tomorrow.

Early Christians noticed this too.

So Justin Martyr wrote in his first apology, The wicked devils have imitated this in the mysteries of Mithras, commanding the same thing to be done, for the bread and a cup of water are placed with certain incantations in the mystic rites of one who is being initiated.

You either know or can learn.

Tertullian also made similar comments, believing these rituals were copied from Christianity.

End of Fidelio by John F. Runciman.

Excerpt from The First Apology of Justin by Justin Martyr, one hundred to one hundred and sixty-five AD.

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The First Apology of Justin.

To the Emperor Titus Aelius Adrianus Antoninus Pius Augustus Caesar, and to his son Verissimus the Philosopher, and to Lucius the Philosopher, the natural son of Caesar and the adopted son of Pius, a lover of learning, and to the sacred Senate with the whole people of the Romans, I, Justin, the son of Priscus and grandson of Bacchius, natives of Flavia Neapolis in Palestine, present this address and petition in behalf of those of all nations who are unjustly hated and wantonly abused, myself being one of them.

Reason directs those who are truly pious and philosophical to honor and love only what is true, declining to follow traditional opinions if these be worthless.

Fourth century records from the early church fathers include the letter of Pontius Pilate, which he wrote to the Roman Emperor concerning Christ.

Well-known historian Justin Martyr even referred to these records.

Pilate's letter stated, "And at the time he was crucified there was darkness over all the world, the sun being darkened at midday, and the stars appearing, but in them there appeared no luster.

And the moon, as if turned into blood, failed in her light.