Justin of Rome: Introduction

Abstract This introduction to the special edition presents a literature review of scholarship on Justin, demonstrating via his traditional monikers (“Justin Martyr,” “Justin of Neapolis,” “Justin the Philosopher,” and “Justin the Apologist”) the need for a fresh treatment, here dubbed “Justin of Rome”—which properly embeds Justin in his imperial setting, encompassing both the literary and historical landscape of the 2d century AD. It teases out connections between the papers that follow and offers a synthesis of the contribution of the special edition, read as a whole, to our understanding not just of this one thinker but of early Christian literature and history more broadly.