St. Justin Martyr (ca. 100-ca. 165) is the first Christian apologist of non-Jewish heritage whose writings have survived.

Justin was born near the site of modern Nablus, Israel, of parents who practiced the Roman religion. By 132 he had become a Christian and had studied philosophy at Greek schools. He then traveled and spoke about the Christian religion, entering into violent controversies with non-Christians (Romans, Greeks, and Jews). He finally established himself in Rome, where he taught and composed his books.

Of Justin's writings only a portion survive: his two Apologies and his Dialogus. These works, however, preserve his method of explaining Christianity to new or possible converts and his method of argument in controversy. Justin was well grounded in Greek philosophy and Greco-Roman mythology. He adapted Platonism to suit his doctrinal and apologist functions, and he translated the Platonic doctrine of the Logos into a new form--the logos spermatikos...