"'They,' said he,
'both glorified the Creator, the God and Father of all, and proclaimed
his Son the Christ sent by him. But,' he added, 'pray that, above all
things, the gates of light may be opened to you, for these things cannot
be perceived or understood by all, but only by him to whom God and his
Christ have imparted wisdom.'

"When he had spoken these and many other things which there is no time
for mentioning at present, he went away, bidding me attend to them, and
I have not seen him since. But straightway a flame was kindled in my
soul, and a love of the prophets and of those men who are friends of
Christ possessed me; and whilst revolving his words in my mind I found
this philosophy alone to be safe and profitable. Thus and for this
reason I am a philosopher. Moreover, I would that all, making a
resolution similar to my own, would regard the words of the Saviour, for
they possess a terrible power in themselves, and are sufficient to
inspire those who turn aside from the path of rectitude with awe, while
the sweetest rest is afforded to those who diligently observe them."

The _Dialogue_ from which these passages are taken is a real or
imaginary disputation with Trypho, a learned Jew at Ephesus, respecting
the principles of Christianity, and contains an elaborate demonstration
that Christ is the Messiah of the Old Testament. The controversy is
carried on with courtesy on both sides, and each disputant is equally
earnest in his attempt to convert the other.

Justin was a very copious writer. The two most important of his writings
now remaining are the two _Apologies_. These are certainly the two
earliest of the numerous ancient pleas for toleration of Christianity
now extant. The first _Apologia_ is addressed to the emperor Antoninus
Pius and the Roman senate and the "whole people of the Romans"; and the
purport of it may be inferred from the commencement, in which Justin
says that he presents this "address and petition in behalf of all
nations who are unjustly hated and wantonly abused, myself being one of
them."

The second _Apologia_ was addressed to the Roman senate, probably in the
reign of Antoninus Marcus Aurelius, and successor of Antoninus Pius. In
this work Justin appeals indignantly to the Roman senate against the
unjust conduct of one Urbicus, who at Rome had condemned several persons
to death simply because they professed to be Christians. This Urbicus
seems to have held the office of prefect o