The Witness of Justin Martyr
This is the confession of faith attributed to Justin Martyr at his martyrdom:
We worship the God of the Christians, whom we consider One from the beginning, the creator and maker of all creation, visible and invisible.
And the Lord Jesus Christ, the Servant of God, who had also been proclaimed beforehand by the prophets as about to be present with the race of men, the herald of salvation and teacher of good instructions.
This is an especially bold creed to the Jews. In the first couple centuries of Christian life, under constant threat of violent persecution by the Roman Empire (and the Jews), this would have been exactly the sort of thing you say to get yourself killed. The Romans respected all old religions, and tolerated them (in the true sense of tolerance...though the Romans weren't Jews, and couldn't really worship the Jewish God because the Jews wouldn't let them into the temple, Judaism was allowed the freedom to exist with legal protection and was sanctioned by the Empire). If it had ancient origins, it probably had something good in it, for the Romans. Christianity was originally a sect of Judaism when it appeared on the scene, because they were just teaching new things within that old religion. But then it became clear that Christians were not Jews...there was a substantial difference that caused a break between the two. So if Christianity wasn't Jewish...then it was *new* and therefore no good (to the Romans). New religions were not tolerated. The Jews went to great lengths to distance themselves from Christians, because the Jews had managed to find peace in the Roman empire, even if they didn't particularly love the empire. Christians were not only a threat to Jewish theology, but a threat to the safety of all Jews in the empire -- and the survival of the Jewish faith.
Justin's statement begins with something the Jews would accept (except for the addition of "Christian" right before God). It's when Justin keeps talking that his true confession shows. He worships the Lord Jesus Christ. That's idolotry, to Jews; to worship anyone other than YHWH (Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me. I, even I, am the LORD [YHWH], and apart from me there is no savior. Isaiah 43:10-11) was clearly in violation of the law.
However, that same verse in Isaiah means something totally different to the Christian. Christ came as the "herald of salvation" and in his message, the herald made salvation possible...he was the savior. The Savior was the same God as YHWH, but somehow distinct in personage (Trinity). To claim that the Old Testament scripture asserted this flew in the face of Jewish belief (predicting a Messiah is one thing...calling that Messiah the One True God is something else entirely).
In the face of death, Justin confessed that he was uniquely Christian. How many of us, in our Christian confessions, can say the same thing? When we pray, do we pray to a uniquely Christian god, or could we be praying to a Jewish or Muslim god? They are different understandings, though supposedly of the same deity. While on some levels this may be true, the Christian God is vastly different from any other god, and must be honored as such. True worship is not simply addressed "To God!", stamped, and sent by mail off to heaven. There are many "God"s out there, but only ONE who can really and truly be called God, who is Father, Son, and Spirit.
We worship the God of the Christians, whom we consider One from the beginning, the creator and maker of all creation, visible and invisible.
And the Lord Jesus Christ, the Servant of God, who had also been proclaimed beforehand by the prophets as about to be present with the race of men, the herald of salvation and teacher of good instructions.
This is an especially bold creed to the Jews. In the first couple centuries of Christian life, under constant threat of violent persecution by the Roman Empire (and the Jews), this would have been exactly the sort of thing you say to get yourself killed. The Romans respected all old religions, and tolerated them (in the true sense of tolerance...though the Romans weren't Jews, and couldn't really worship the Jewish God because the Jews wouldn't let them into the temple, Judaism was allowed the freedom to exist with legal protection and was sanctioned by the Empire). If it had ancient origins, it probably had something good in it, for the Romans. Christianity was originally a sect of Judaism when it appeared on the scene, because they were just teaching new things within that old religion. But then it became clear that Christians were not Jews...there was a substantial difference that caused a break between the two. So if Christianity wasn't Jewish...then it was *new* and therefore no good (to the Romans). New religions were not tolerated. The Jews went to great lengths to distance themselves from Christians, because the Jews had managed to find peace in the Roman empire, even if they didn't particularly love the empire. Christians were not only a threat to Jewish theology, but a threat to the safety of all Jews in the empire -- and the survival of the Jewish faith.
Justin's statement begins with something the Jews would accept (except for the addition of "Christian" right before God). It's when Justin keeps talking that his true confession shows. He worships the Lord Jesus Christ. That's idolotry, to Jews; to worship anyone other than YHWH (Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me. I, even I, am the LORD [YHWH], and apart from me there is no savior. Isaiah 43:10-11) was clearly in violation of the law.
However, that same verse in Isaiah means something totally different to the Christian. Christ came as the "herald of salvation" and in his message, the herald made salvation possible...he was the savior. The Savior was the same God as YHWH, but somehow distinct in personage (Trinity). To claim that the Old Testament scripture asserted this flew in the face of Jewish belief (predicting a Messiah is one thing...calling that Messiah the One True God is something else entirely).
In the face of death, Justin confessed that he was uniquely Christian. How many of us, in our Christian confessions, can say the same thing? When we pray, do we pray to a uniquely Christian god, or could we be praying to a Jewish or Muslim god? They are different understandings, though supposedly of the same deity. While on some levels this may be true, the Christian God is vastly different from any other god, and must be honored as such. True worship is not simply addressed "To God!", stamped, and sent by mail off to heaven. There are many "God"s out there, but only ONE who can really and truly be called God, who is Father, Son, and Spirit.