Today (new calendar), the Holy Orthodox Church commemorates the memory of St. Justin the Philosopher also known as the Martyr. Author of one of the earliest defenses of Christianity to the Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius and of another one to the emperor Marcus Aurelius, St. Justin was a man who came to believe in Christ only after a great and long struggle. Many would suggest that he came to belief only from a logical disproving of some of the other great mystery religions and superstitions of the time, but there is no way to measure how much his heart could have been moved seeing the martyrdom of Sts. Ptolemy and Lucian or in his reading of the Scriptures. Such we can never know for sure. Nevertheless, this man was a fervent defender of Christ and His Church for which he was martyred.
Through the prayers of St. Justin the Philosopher, O Christ our God, have mercy upon us and save us.
HYMN OF PRAISE
ST. JUSTIN THE PHILOSOPHER
Whoever belongs to Christ, that one dies for Christ,
Saint Justin, defender of the truth,
Recognized the power of Christ and expressed it,
Fearlessly turned around the entire empire
Defending the righteous; the heathens admonishing,
To the entire world, with truth shining.
He was from the city of the unbaptized where once ten lepers,
To Christ the Savior, bitterly cried out
By His word, they were healed,
And now, Justin, the leprosy of falsehood
By the power of Christ's Faith, alleviated,
As a father, he protected Christians,
The foolishness of paganism he unmasked,
To the emperors, he speaks the truth -
He was a light until the candle burned down,
Until the evil ones, his body took,
His soul to Paradise, the angels raised
That in heaven, it shines like the sun
To whom his Apologia shines,
Glorifying the name of the immortal Justin
Teaching the world, what is the truth.
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