Athenagoras of Athens was a philosopher who converted to Christianity in the second century. Athenagoras wrote his Plea for Christians approximately in 177 CE. Athenagoras also wrote On the Resurrection of the Dead.

[a.d. 210.] Though Tertullian is the founder of Latin Christianity, his contemporary Minucius Felix gives to Christian thought its earliest clothing in Latinity. The harshness and provincialism, with the Graecisms, if not the mere Tertullianism, of Tertullian, deprive him of high claims to be classed among Latin writers, as such; but in Minucius we find,…

Minucius Felix, Marcus, one of the earliest and most pleasing of the Latin Christian apologists. His personal history can only be gathered from his own book. The earliest writer to mention him by name is Lactantius (Institut. v. 1), who describes him as a lawyer, “non ignobilis inter causidicos loci,” but Lactantius may be merely…

The Octavius by Minucius Felix is an apology for the Christian religion. Either Tertullian dependend on this apology, making it perhaps the earliest piece of extant Christian Latin literature, or the author of this apology depended on Tertullian.https://www.tertullian.org/minucius/mf.htm

[a.d. 110-172.] It was my first intention to make this author a mere appendix to his master, Justin Martyr; for he stands in an equivocal position, as half Father and half heretic. His good seems to have been largely due to Justin’s teaching and influence. One may trust that his falling away, in the decline…

Tatian was a pupil of Justin Martyr and author of the Diatessaron, a harmony of the four gospels. Tatian composed his apology c. 155-165 CE. In his later years, after the death of Justin Martyr c. 163 CE, Tatian is reported to have become an Encratite. Irenaeus makes mention of this Tatian in Against Heresies…

Justin is an early Christian figure who is very much of his own time, yet his ideas and intellectual legacy transcend temporal confines. He does not represent just a snapshot of the Christianity of Rome in the mid-second century, but was a courageous figure who challenged the prevailing philosophical systems of his own day with…

There was an earlier Jew-Christian dialogue called Dialogue of Jason and Papiscus, written ca. 140, attributed to Ariston of Pella (or less frequently, Luke the evangelist). It was lost in antiquity, but it is thought by some scholars that Justin’s dialogue may have been influenced by it. Just a few fragments survive, including one excerpt…

The purpose of this table is to present a clear overview of what the mid-second century Justin Martyr appears to believe and understand about the Church, Christianity, Heresy and Eschatology. Many detailed studies have been made of what Justin knew of the Sayings of Jesus but there have been fewer works discussing his understanding of…