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Bible and Early Church History  /  Who's Who in the Early Church?  /  Discussion Questions
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Question 4
Justin Martyr’s First Apology is valued because it is not a church manual but an explanation to a Roman Emperor of what Christians actually believed and practiced around AD 150. If a hostile outsider today evaluated your congregation’s beliefs and lifestyle, what would they likely describe as the “objective window” into your Christianity—and where might it contradict your self-description?
Another way to ask: Justin Martyr wrote to a Roman Emperor describing what Christians actually believed and did around AD 150. If a skeptical outsider looked at your church today, what would they point to as the clearest evidence of your faith, and where might it not match how you describe yourselves?

Direct Answer Bercot’s point is that an outward-facing defense (like Justin’s) can reveal what Christians truly believe and do, because it describes observable practice rather than ideals. The transcript doesn’t evaluate your congregation specifically, but it implies the best “objective window” would be what outsiders can clearly see in your worship, ethics, and daily lifestyle.

Support from Transcript:

  • Justin “addressed his first apology to the Roman Emperor,” explaining “what Christians… believed and the lifestyle they lived.”
  • Bercot stresses it is “not a church order”: Justin is “not trying to tell other Christians what they should believe,” but describing reality.
  • Therefore it functions as an “objective window into primitive Christianity around the year 150.”
  • Justin describes concrete practices: “how baptism was practiced” and “what the typical Sunday morning service was like.”
  • He also addresses beliefs and lifestyle issues, including “war… entertainment… abortion,” showing that outsider-facing explanation includes ethics, not just doctrine.
Discussion Follow-ups If you had to write an “apology” to your city leaders explaining Christian behavior, what would you highlight—and what would you feel tempted to hide or soften? What practices would prove your stated beliefs are real?

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