On Justin Martyr First Apology

http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0126.htm

Reading the Apology is not that easy, especially in terms of the language; but I still find it interesting.

This great martyr, as a great philosopher, tried to explain Christian faith  with the worldly knowledge in a logic way.

What I find extremely helpful is Chapter 20 "Heathen analogies to Christian doctrine". Justin, with his comprehensive knowledge, compared Christianity with other poets and philosophies people honored like the Stoic, Plato and yielded the conclusion that "If, therefore, on some points we teach the same things as the poets and philosophers whom you honour, and on other points are fuller and more divine in our teaching,and if we alone afford proof of what we assert, why are we unjustly hated more than all others?"

This kind of compare and contrast is commonly seen in other chapters too. In the chapter to follow, "Analogies to the history of Christ", Justin argued from the perspective of history other than philosophy. He compared Jesus Christ with the Roman gods---Jupiter,  Æsculapius, Bacchus, Ariadne.... and argued for which one is more "holy and virtue". The sharp contrast is very convincing to people who would like to listen to his argument. Also in chapter 44 "Not nullified by prophecy", Justin compared Plato's teaching with that of Moses to explain.