Primary source · Koine Greek
The First Apology of Justin Martyr
Justin Martyr · c. AD 155, addressed to Antoninus Pius
What this text is
Justin’s open petition to the emperor for justice toward Christians — and, in chapters 65–67, the earliest detailed description of Christian baptism and the Sunday eucharist.
Interlinear passages
Word-for-word glosses of the original; the complete public-domain translation is linked below.
Chapter 67 — The assembly on Sunday
ΤῇOn theτοῦof theἡλίουsunλεγομένῃso-calledἡμέρᾳdayπάντωνof allἐπὶinτὸtheαὐτὸsame placeσυνέλευσιςa gatheringγίνεται.is held
Public-domain translations
Roberts–Donaldson (ANF, 1885)
And on the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as time permits.
Manuscript witnesses
Codex Parisinus gr. 450
AD 1364Nearly the whole of Justin hangs on this one dated Paris codex — a millennium younger than its author.
Patrologia Graeca, vol. 6 (Migne)
1857Standard pre-critical text of the corpus.
Provenance
Rome, c. AD 155–157, addressed to Antoninus Pius
Editions & scholarship
Critical editions and standard translations behind the text above.
- Justin, Philosopher and Martyr: Apologies (OECT)Denis Minns & Paul Parvis, 2009The critical edition with translation and commentary.
- The First and Second Apologies (ACW 56)Leslie W. Barnard, 1997Annotated faithful translation.