4.16.1
XVI. Κατὰ τούτους δὲ καὶ ὁ μικρῷ πρόσθεν ἡμῖν δηλωθεὶς Ιουστῖνος δεύτερον ὑπὲρ τῶν καθ’ ἡμᾶς δογμάτων βιβλίον ἀναδοὺς τοῖς δεδηλωμένοις ἄρχουσιν, θείῳ κατακοσμεῖται μαρτυρίῳ, Φιλοσόφου προσηγορίᾳ τὸν φερώνυμον δ’ οὗτος τῇ κυνικὴ προσηγορίᾳ βίον τε καὶ τρόπον ἐξήλου) τὴν ἐπι- βουλὴν αὐτῷ καττύσαντος, ἐπειδὴ πλεονάκις ἐν διαλόγοις ἀκροατῶν παρόντων εὐθύνας αὐτόν, τὰ νικητήρια τελευτῶν ἧς ἐπρέσβευεν ἀληθείας διὰ τοῦ μαρτυρίου τοῦ κατ’ αὐτὸν ἀνεδήσατο.
AI English cleanup, gpt-5.4-mini, 2026-05-24
XVI. In their time too Justin, whom we mentioned a little earlier, after delivering to the rulers mentioned a second book in behalf of our opinions, was adorned with divine martyrdom, when the philosopher Crescens, who strove in life and behaviour to justify the name of Cynic which he bore, instigated the plot against him, for Justin had often defeated him in debate in the presence of hearers, and finally bound on himself the trophies of victory by his martyrdom for the truth of which he was an ambassador.
4.16.2
Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ ταῖς ἀληθείαις Φιλοσοφώτατος ἐν τῆ δεδηλωμένη ἀπολογίᾳ σαφῶς οὕτως, ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ ἔμελλεν δάον οὔπω περὶ αὐτὸν συμβήσεσθαι, προλαβὼν ἀποσημαίνει τού. τοῖς τοῖς ῥήμασιν· “ κἀγὼ οὖν προσδοκῶ ὑπό τινος τῶν ὠνομασμένων ἐπιβουλευθῆναι καὶ ξύλῳ ἐντιναγῆναι ἢ κἂν ὑπὸ Κρήσκεωτος τοῦ ἀφιλοσόφου καὶ Φιλοκόμπου· οὐ γὰρ φιλόσοφον εἰπεῖν ἄξιον τὸν ἄνδρα, ὅς γε περὶ ὧν μὴ ἐπίσταται, δημοσίᾳ καταμαρτυρεῖ ὡς ἀθέων καὶ ἀσεβῶν Χριστιανῶν ὄντων, πρὸς χάριν καὶ ἡδονὴν τῶν πολλῶν τῶν πεπλανημένων τοῦτο πράττων. εἴτε γὰρ μὴ ἐντυχὼν τοῖς τοῦ Χριστοῦ διδάγμασιν κατατρέχει ἡμῶν, παμπόνηρός ἐστιν καὶ ἰδιωτῶν πολὺ χείρων, οἳ φυλάττονται πολλάκις περὶ ὧν οὐκ ἐπίστανται, διαλέγεσθαι καὶ ψευδομαρτυρεῖν· καὶ εἰ ἐντυχὼν μὴ συνῆκεν τὸ ἐν αὐτοῖς μεγαλεῖον ἢ συνεὶς πρὸς τὸ μὴ ὑποπτευθῆναι τοιοῦτος ταῦτα ποιεῖ, πολὺ μᾶλλον ἀγεννὴς καὶ παμπόνηρος, ἰδιωτικῆς καὶ ἀλόγου δόξης καὶ φόβου ἐλάττων ὤν. καὶ γὰρ προθέντα με καὶ ἐρωτήσαντα αὐτὸν ἐρωτήσεις τινὰς τοιαύτας, μαθεῖν καὶ ἐλέγξαι ὅτι ἀληθῶς μηδὲν ἐπ[΄ισταται, εἰδέναι ὑμᾶς βούλομαι, καὶ ὅτι ἀληθῆ λέγω, εἰ μὴ ἀνηνέχθησαν ὑμῖν αἱ κοινωνίαι τῶν λόγων, ἕτοιμος καὶ ἐφ’ ὑμῶν κοινωνεῖν τῶν ἐρωτήσεων πάλιν· βασιλικὸν δ’ ἂν καὶ τοῦτο ἔργον εἴη. εἰ δὲ καὶ ἐγνώσθησαν ὑμῖν αἱ ἐρωτήσεις μου καὶ αἱ ἐκείνου ἀποκρίσεις, φανερὸν ὑμῖν ἐστιν ὅτι οὐδὲν τῶν ἡμετέρων ἐπί. σταται· ἢ εἰ ἐπίσταται, διὰ τοὺς ἀκούοντας δὲ οὐ τολμᾷ λέγειν, ὡς πρότερον ἔφην, οὐ φιλόσοφος, ἀλλὰ φιλόδοξος ἁνὴρ δείκνυται, ὅς γε μηδὲ τὸ Σωκρατικόν, ἀξιέραστον ὄν, τιμᾷ.”
AI English cleanup, gpt-5.4-mini, 2026-05-24
This he, who was in truth a supreme philosopher, sets in advance, in the above-mentioned Apology, just as clearly as in fact it was almost at once to happen to him, using these words: “I too expect to be plotted against by one of those who have been mentioned, and to be stretched on the rack, or even by Crescens, that lover not of wisdom but of boasting, for the man is not worthy to be called ‘philosopher’ seeing that he publicly testifies what he does not know, to the effect that the Christians are atheists and impious, and he does this to gain the grace and pleasure of the many who have been deceived. For either he controverts us without attending to the teachings of Christ, and is a complete rascal and far worse than the uneducated, who often avoid discussing and giving false testimony on subjects of which they have no knowledge; and if he has studied and does not understand the greatness in them, or though he does understand them is base enough to do what he does to avoid suspicion, he is more ignoble and rascally, for he succumbs to ignorant and unreasonable opinion and fear. For I would have you know that I put forward and asked him certain questions of this kind in order to find out and prove that he really knows nothing; and to show that I am speaking the truth, in case the information as to the arguments was not brought to you, I am ready to communicate the questions again before you, and this would be a task worthy of an Emperor. But if my questions and his answers are known to you, it is plain to you that he knows nothing of our position, or, if he does know, does not dare say so because of the listeners, and, as I said before, is proved to be a man who loves not wisdom but reputation and does not even honour the saying of Socrates, worthy of affection as it is.”
4.16.3
Ταῦτα μὲν οὗν ὁ Ἰουστῖνος· ὅτι δὲ κατὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ πρόρρησιν πρὸς τοῦ Κρήσκεντος συσκευασθεὶς ἐτελειώθη, Τατιανός, ἀνὴρ τὸν πρῶτον αὐτοῦ βίον σοφιστεύσας ἐν τοῖς Ἑλλήνων μαθήμασι καὶ δόξαν οὐ σμικρὰν ἐν αὐτοῖς ἀπενηνεγμένος πλεῖστά τε ἐν αυγγράμμασιν αὐτοῦ καταλιπὼν μνημεῖα, ἐν τῷ Πρὸς Ἕλληνας ἱστορεῖ, λέγων ὧδε· “ καὶ ὁ θαυμασιώτατος Ἰουστῖνος ὀρθῶς ἐξεφώνησεν ἐοικέναι τοὺς προειρημένους λῃσταῖς.” εἶτ’ ἔπει. πών τινα περὶ τῶν Φιλοσόφων, ἐπιλέγει ταῦτα· ‘Κρήσκης γοῦν ὁ ἐννεοττεύσας τῇ μεγάλη πόλει παιδεραστίᾳ μὲν πάντας ὑπερήνεγκεν, φιλαργυρίᾳ δὲ πάνυ προσεχὴς ἦν· θανάτου δὲ ὁ καταφρονεῖν συμβουλεύων οὕτως αὐτὸς ἐδεδίει τὸν θάνατον, ὡς καὶ Ἰουστῖνον, καθάπερ μεγάλῳ κακῷ, τῷ θανάτῳ περιβαλεῖν πραγματεύσασθαι, διότι κηρύττων τὴν ἀλήθειαν λίχνους τοὺς φιλοσόφους καὶ ἀπατεῶνας συνἠλεγχεν.” καὶ τὸ μὲν κατὰ Ἰουστῖνον μαρτύριον τοιαύτην εἴληχεν αἰτίαν.
AI English cleanup, gpt-5.4-mini, 2026-05-24
So says Justin; and that, according to his own prophecy, he was caught by Crescens and suffered martyrdom, Tatian, a man who in early life was trained in the learning of the Greeks and gained great distinction in it and has left many monuments of himself in writing, narrates as follows in his treatise Against the Greeks: “And the wonderful Justin rightly exclaimed that those mentioned are like brigands.” Then continuing about the philosophers, he proceeds: “Crescens, who lurked in the great city, surpassed all in unnatural vice and was also wholly devoted to the love of money. He counselled others to despise death but himself was so afraid of it that he intrigued to inflict death on Justin, as though it were a great evil, because Justin by preaching the truth convicted the philosophers as gluttons and deceivers.” And such was the cause of the martyrdom of Justin.