The Ancient Witnesses

40 • The Ancient Witnesses: A Journey to Discover Our Sacred Roots

but strange tale which left me feeling unsettled from its opening scene, and I soon stopped. My problem, I realized, was that I remembered very little of what I had learned about these authors and their times from my reading of Eusebius’ Church History . Since my copy was back at the hotel, I waited for Joseph to lift his head and asked him to help me find the book on the shelf. He also found me a copy of another book by Justin Martyr, and I soon settled into a long and interesting read. Meeting Justin Martyr The two volumes introduced me to Justin Martyr, who lived a hundred years after the resurrection of Jesus. Justin, whose Latin name means justice , was a Samaritan, having been born to the people rejected by the Jews (see Luke 9:51-56 and John 4:9). Growing up a Samaritan did not keep Justin from developing a passion to learn about God. However, it did make it impossible for him to learn from the Jewish rabbis, who would chase him away from their synagogues. Justin’s own family members probably shunned their son’s constant questions about the family’s Samaritan beliefs and customs. Justin had to teach himself to read the philosophical texts which he studied in secret. When Justin was old enough, he set out on his own journey in search of truth. This led him to Athens—the intellectual center of the ancient world—and to his following several philosophers as a disciple. When none of these teachers could offer Justin a knowledge of God deep enough to satisfy his curiosity, he began to doubt he would ever find the true path. Then one day he met an old man on a beach who introduced him to Jesus the Messiah. Justin shared his quest for truth and the man