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The Second Apology

Justin Martyr

Chapter 9

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 IX.—Eternal punishment not a mere threat.

And that no one may say what is said by

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those

who

are

deemed

philosophers

,

that

our

assertions

that

the

wicked

are

punished

in

eternal

fire

are

big

words

and

bugbears

,

and

that

we

wish

men

to

live

virtuously

through

fear

,

and

not

because

such

a

life

is

good

and

pleasant

;

I

will

briefly

reply

to

this

,

that

if

this

be

not

so

,

God

does

not

exist

;

or

,

if

He

exists

,

He

cares

not

for

men

,

and

neither

virtue

nor

vice

is

anything

,

and

,

as

we

said

before

,

lawgivers

unjustly

punish

those

who

transgress

good

commandments

.

But

since

these

are

not

unjust

,

and

their

Father

teaches

them

by

the

word

to

do

the

same

things

as

Himself

,

they

who

agree

with

them

are

not

unjust

.

And

if

one

object

that

the

laws

of

men

are

diverse

,

and

say

that

with

some

,

one

thing

is

considered

good

,

another

evil

,

while

with

others

what

seemed

bad

to

the

former

is

esteemed

good

,

and

what

seemed

good

is

esteemed

bad

,

let

him

listen

to

what

we

say

to

this

.

We

know

that

the

wicked

angels

appointed

laws

conformable

to

their

own

wickedness

,

in

which

the

men

who

are

like

them

delight

;

and

the

right

Reason

,

when

He

came

,

proved

that

not

all

opinions

nor

all

doctrines

are

good

,

but

that

some

are

evil

,

while

others

are

good

.

Wherefore

,

I

will

declare

the

same

and

similar

things

to

such

men

as

these

,

and

,

if

need

be

,

they

shall

be

spoken

of

more

at

large

.

But

at

present

I

return

to

the

subject

.

Notes

15
These words can be taken of the Logos as well as of the right reason diffused among men by Him.