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The Second Apology

Justin Martyr

Chapter 6

About this work

A shorter defense responding to recent judicial violence against Christians and arguing that persecution, philosophical reason, human freedom, and Christian hope must be judged justly.

Author: Justin Martyr
Date: c. AD 150–160
Origin: Rome
Genre: Apology

Chapter VI.—Names of God and of Christ, their meaning and power.

But to the Father of all, who is unbegotten

‹ Chapter 5 Chapter 7 ›

there

is

no

name

given

.

For

by

whatever

name

He

be

called

,

He

has

as

His

elder

the

person

who

gives

Him

the

name

.

But

these

words

Father

,

and

God

,

and

Creator

,

and

Lord

,

and

Master

,

are

not

names

,

but

appellations

derived

from

His

good

deeds

and

functions

.

And

His

Son

,

who

alone

is

properly

called

Son

,

the

Word

who

also

was

with

Him

and

was

begotten

before

the

works

,

when

at

first

He

created

and

arranged

all

things

by

Him

,

is

called

Christ

,

in

reference

to

His

being

anointed

and

God’s

ordering

all

things

through

Him

;

this

name

itself

also

containing

an

unknown

significance

;

as

also

the

appellation

“

God

”

is

not

a

name

,

but

an

opinion

implanted

in

the

nature

of

men

of

a

thing

that

can

hardly

be

explained

.

But

“

Jesus

,

”

His

name

as

man

and

Saviour

,

has

also

significance

.

For

He

was

made

man

also

,

as

we

before

said

,

having

been

conceived

according

to

the

will

of

God

the

Father

,

for

the

sake

of

believing

men

,

and

for

the

destruction

of

the

demons

.

And

now

you

can

learn

this

from

what

is

under

your

own

observation

.

For

numberless

demoniacs

throughout

the

whole

world

,

and

in

your

city

,

many

of

our

Christian

men

exorcising

them

in

the

name

of

Jesus

Christ

,

who

was

crucified

under

Pontius

Pilate

,

have

healed

and

do

heal

,

rendering

helpless

and

driving

the

possessing

devils

out

of

the

men

,

though

they

could

not

be

cured

by

all

the

other

exorcists

,

and

those

who

used

incantations

and

drugs

.