This book is a scholarly study of the life and thought of the early Christian apologist Justin Martyr. A Samaritan of Greek education, martyred in Rome in A.D. 165, Justin belonged to a generation still in touch with those who had known the apostles. In the predominantly pagan world of the second century, Christian gatherings for the celebration of the Eucharist were often misrepresented as a cloak for incest, cannibalism and child murder. Three works by Justin vindicating Christianity against such charges survive. Mr Barnard uses these texts to discuss Justin's philosophy and its influence.