The First and Second Apologies of Justin Martyr

Justin Martyr was a mid-second century Christian writer. A Greek-speaking Gentile, he was born in Flavia Neapolis (present day Nablus) in Samaria and was martyred around 165 AD in Rome. In approximately 150 AD, he wrote his First and Second Apologies as defenses of the Christian faith.  Justin addressed the First Apology to the Roman emperor Antoninus Pius and his sons Lucius and Verissimus (better known as Marcus Aurelius); the Second Apology was addressed to the Roman Senate.  In bot