Justin Martyr and the Divine Logos

An Exposition of Apologies and Dialogue with Trypho

By: Józef Korneliusz Trzebuniak

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

In his writings, Justin Martyr presents the theme of participation in the divine Logos. The most important source for his philosophical and theological interpretation of this theme is the term “Logos spermatikos” (λόγος σπερματικός), which he explains in several chapters of his Apologies. In introducing the concept into Christian thought, Justin develops the doctrine of the pre-existent Logos, who was hidden during Old Testament times, but then passed on the “seeds of truth” to some philosophers, before fully revealing himself in the Person of Jesus Christ. The author of the Apologies introduces new content to the theology of the Logos, which he later supplements in his Dialogue with Trypho: „The Logos was and is the Word who is in every man, and who foretold the things that were to come to pass both through the prophets and in His own person when He was made of like passions, and taught these things.” The apologetic writings of Justin indicate that the “seed of the Logos” in human beings (τὸ σπέρμα τοῦ Λόγου) and the divine Logos himself are completely different. According to the apologist, all people have a share in the Logos, who is Jesus Christ. There are two groups of people, however—one group that lives “according to the Logos” and the other that lives “without the Logos”.